The Prince of Swords
by v03-R.N
Summary: And so this is where it all begins The path has been set. The first step of a thousand mile journey has been taken. A journey that will be filled with swords and battles.
1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE**

"Well, this place will have to do." I inwardly comment to myself as I looked at the small tavern before me. The constant shouts of profanity and slurred singing echoing from inside it pretty much assured that this was the last place that anyone would expect a rather weary traveler to be spending his late afternoon in.

"I guess it can't be helped."

I slowly enter the bar. The smell of alcohol was rather strong, invading my nostrils the very moment that I stepped inside. I looked around and I could see a collage of activity from everywhere, people arguing, fighting, gambling and especially drinking. There were close to a dozen unconscious bodies lying on the floor. The poor waitresses themselves were having a hard time navigating through the throng of drunken patrons whilst enduring the countless groping hands around them. In many ways this place somewhat reminded me of Auntie Agnes' favorite tavern back in Tristania, though the people around seemed less friendly and more chauvinistic compared to the ones back home.

A couple of the men seated near the entrance gave me a probing look. This wasn't much of a surprise to me though since I had experienced this in every tavern that I had entered from the start of this journey that began six months ago. I really couldn't blame them though since I've been told that I looked like a noble from some foreign land in more than one occasion. My neatly combed reddish hair was the first thing that they notice. It was quite understandable since someone who would put enough attention to their hair to make sure that it wasn't sticking out everywhere like wild grass was not the kind of person that you'd expect to see in a tavern getting drunk late in the afternoon. Also the fact that certain features of my face did not conform to what was considered the norm in this place was probably a main factor as to why they would think of me as a foreigner, which I technically was although even back home I would still be sometimes mistaken as one. As to why people would ask me if I was a noble or related to one off the record, well lets just say that having sapphire tinted eyes which was usually a trait reserved for the nobility will do that to you.

Of course, I can't tell them just how accurate their statement really was…

After spending a full minute staring at me, some of them give out a slight snort. If I were to wager a guess, they were now probably dismissing any chance of me being of noble birth or that even if I was really related to a noble then I most likely was some Duke's bastard son. Such stories were not unheard off and were actually quite common much to the dismay of most noble housewives. The ghoulish attire that I was wearing may have greatly contributed to that dismissal as well. My tight sleeveless shirt, loose black trousers and pair of short black boots was a far cry from the immaculate wardrobes and dignified cloaks that most nobles chose to wear.

And if that wasn't enough to convince them, then the fact that I had two and a half feet of cold steel stowed behind my back instead of eleven inches of polished wood gripped in my hand would do it. As a rule, most mages considered the wielding of a sword to be a barbaric notion that was below those of their station. Even earth mages, who were excused from this rule would not carry a sword and would rather craft one through magic when needed. The only exemption that I could really think of were the Undine Knights who considered the mastery of the sword to be a prerequisite in joining their ranks. Right now I highly doubt that I resembled someone who was a member of the most feared order in Tristain that had been trained by the most infamous swordsman in the history of the continent.

Pushing those thoughts aside I make my way to the counter, stepping over an unconscious body who seemed to have soiled himself, and called the attention of the barkeep.

"So what will it be then?" He asked, not even looking at me whilst continuing to wipe clean a dirtied cup which looked to have been just recently used. He was a rather large man who had very big meaty arms. He gave off a very intimidating presence which I guess he had to possess to make sure that his customers didn't try to cause too much trouble. I'm guessing that his tactics of keeping them in line was the complete opposite of what Uncle Scarron usually did.

I tried to hide the small shiver that I felt as I recalled the first time I visited the Charming Faeries inn. To think that a place that housed so many flirtatious and scantily clad women would also be the home of one of my most traumatic childhood experiences

I look at the array of bottles displayed on the shelf behind the counter. There were quite a number of selections to choose from but there was one that quickly caught my attention.

"You serve Rice wine here, Mister?" I asked as I stared at the small porcelain bottle inconspicuously hidden at the top of the shelf.

My question immediately draws the attention of the slightly surprised barkeep as he stops his monotonous wiping to look at me.

"You drink rice wine?"

"Yup." I answered and quickly flash him a sincere smile. "One order please. I'd prefer if it was served hot."

Upon seeing that gesture the burly barkeep's pissed off expression immediately softens as I see a smug grin appear on his face. Moving to oblige my request, he ducks under the table as I start to hear the sound of cabinets under the counter being opened. Before long he brings out a small box containing a number of porcelain bottles.

"Don't meet a lot of people that like Rice wine in these parts."

He pulls out one of the bottles stored inside the box as I quickly raise my cup to the barkeep, prompting him to go ahead and pour me my share.

"Well, I guess they don't know what they're missing then."

As I quickly down my share, I notice the barkeep start to jovially laugh at me. It was an act that immediately drew the attention of everyone around us. Seeing this usually sour faced man laughing so innocently must have been enough to unnerve them since the whole place suddenly became silent for a full minute before everyone went back to what they were doing.

"So where you from, young'un?" trying to start a conversation, he pulls out a cup of his own and begins to pour himself his own share.

"Tristain. I've been traveling around for the past six months. I got here just about a week ago."

"You travelin' alone then?"

I shook my head as I ask for my cup to be refilled. "I'm with my Uncle."

"Ain't that dangerous though." He immediately voices his concern as he starts to pour both of us another round. "Travelin' around these parts with only the two of you is jus' askin for trouble. It's a miracle that you got here in one piece."

I give him a more confident smile. "Thank you for worrying but I think we can take care of ourselves."

He glances at the handle of the sword peeking behind my back and slightly chuckles.

"You a swordsman, eh? Me as well, back in my younger days." He starts to puff out his chest. "Was a mercenary back when I was a young'un. Wasn't too shabby either if I say so myself."

"Really?" I asked, not out of curiosity but merely for the sake of continuing our conversation.

"Had my share of battles, even participated in a bunch of wars. Last one I joined was the one between Tristain and Albion. Last battle I fought in was the one in Saxe-Gotha"

Upon hearing this bit of information, my interest is immediately peaked.

"Wait, are you talking about _THE_ battle in the Hills of Saxe-Gotha?"

"Of course I am! Was a member of the seventh infantry!"

"So then, you fought against him, didn't you?" I asked for confirmation. At this point even I couldn't fully hide the curiosity lacing my voice. "…The King of Swords."

"Sure did!" he answers with an amused smirk. "…though to be completely honest, it was more like a slaughter than an actual fight." My host suddenly had an expression of grim nostalgia on his face. It was a look that I had seen a couple of times before, worn by mercenaries and soldiers alike as they remembered a life and death encounter. "Was night time when he appeared. We were marching toward the port of Rosais, trying to catch up to the remaining Alliance forces, when out of nowhere this huge wall of fire erupts in front of the army. We started hearing explosions left, right, and center. Next thing we knew, someone - or something - was mowing through our ranks like a hurricane of steel."

"Were you able to cross swords with him?"

"Yeah, for a split second I did. Was able to block his first strike." He declares proudly at me. "Of course another second later I was lying on the ground and bleeding like a pig. I lost consciousness and woke up inside a tent chuck full of limbless soldiers and water mages running around all over the place like headless chickens. I also found out that the King of Swords was kind enough to leave me a parting gift."

He then raised his right hand in front of me. I had already noticed earlier that the index and pinky finger had been severed off it but not knowing the history behind it I didn't really pay it any attention. The barkeep then sat down and heaves one of his legs onto the counter to show me a wooden peg in place of where flesh and bone should've been. In all honesty this person looked like someone who belonged at the helm of a pirate ship, a patch covering his left eye as he continuously barks orders to his crewmen. It was a bit disconcerting, partially because I never really liked Pirates to begin with… but mainly because I somewhat felt guilty. A part of me wondered if this person would still be this accommodating if he knew exactly who he was talking to right now.

"What? You feelin' bad for me now?" the barkeep jokes. He probably noticed how uncomfortable I was while we were discussing the subject of his lost limb. He starts to fill both our cups, making sure to fill mine to the brim. "I'm actually happy how the whole thing turned out."

"Huh? But you ended up losing a limb… How could you possibly be happy about how things turned out?"

"Ah, kids these days." He chuckles a bit before drinking from his cup. "Here's a bit of advice from one swords-person to another. Back when I was a youn'un, I was one of the most arrogant people that you'd ever meet. I chose to be a mercenary not just cause it put food on the table but also cause it was the best way for me to meet and fight other guys." He looks at me with a stern expression on his face, like he was about to impart one of life's great mysteries to me. "Listen to me young'un, I'm not sure if you've gone though this stage yet or not but there will come a time when you'll think of yourself as invincible. And when that happens you'll start hunting down opponents just to prove it to yourself and everyone around you. And one day, the same way that I found out on the hills of Saxe-gotha, you're gonna end up biting more than you can chew. I was lucky that I escaped with my life back then, but you can't count on luck to save your neck every damn time! What I'm tryin' to say is there's more to life than just swinging a sword." I nod out of respect, although I wasn't sure if that advice was applicable to me yet. "As for me, after being unlucky enough to face the King I quit being a mercenary. There was really no point in continuing knowing the fact that no matter how much I sweat or trained I would never come close to his level. So I settled down, set up shop here in Albion, and raised a family of my own. I'm pretty happy right now with my life. I mean sure I have an annoying gimp every time I walk and I have a slightly hard time handling things with just eight fingers, but at least I ain't dead."

His words bring a smile to my face as I raise my cup to acknowledge his statement.

"So what's your business here in Albion?"

"Just going on a little field trip, that's all. I'm actually on my way to Westwood to meet a friend of my father."

"Anyone I might know?'' he ask again as he pours the last contents of the bottle of rice wine onto both of our cups while at the same time pulling out another one from the box. Inwardly, I hoped that I wouldn't have to pay for the new bottle since I was on a tight budget at the moment.

"I'm not sure. I don't really know her name. My uncle whose met her before when he was traveling with my father has completely forgotten it as well so I don't really have any leads to go by."

"Your uncle must be really old then to forget something like that!"

"Old? More like ancient." I quip. My host begins to laugh out loud, drawing a few more stares from some of his patrons. His amusement however was cut short when he suddenly hears the faint sound of shaking steel on its sheath. It seems that this man's time away from the battlefield hadn't dulled his senses as he begins to look around trying to see if anyone was trying to cause more trouble than they were allowed to. I tried my best to suppress a laugh. For someone who prided himself for being six thousand years old, my Uncle gets easily offended whenever I point out to him that his age could also be a factor as to why he was becoming more and more forgetful. I'm sure to get a very long lecture from him once we left this tavern.

"Sorry about that." The embarrassed barkeep apologizes to me as he scratches the back of his head. "My customers ain't exactly the most civilized bunch around. Most of them are just drunks trying to drown their worries away and have a good time, but there are some really bad apples that end up lounging in here from time to time." A small scowl was slowly forming on his face as he continued. "Mercenaries, thieves, murderers, and some other folk who are usually up to no good end up spending the evening here for a drink. With so many hot heads gathered in one place, I try my best to stop any quarrel turning into a stabbing contest. Not to mention scrubbing blood off the floor is a real pain in the ass."

"That's for sure." I add with a slight chuckle which immediately eases the tension. "Do you have any more stories about your days being a mercenary."

"Well, there was this one time when I went to Germania and met this fox of a Duchess. Let me tell you, she was really into some weird shit like-…"

"YOU SAW THE KING OF SWORDS WHERE!"

Our conversation was immediately cut short by that loud declaration. The merry making noises quickly halted and were replaced by a grim silence. Though he had been dead for two decades now, the mere mention of the king's name was still enough to inspire abject terror to those who heard it. I could only assume that the effect would be even more pronounced here in this land, the once great kingdom of Albion, where his legend started.

I stared at the man who shouted and the 3 people that he was sharing his table with. He was a lanky looking male with rather long limbs. His head was covered by a bandanna and he and his companions were wearing gruff looking clothing that had stains of blood in some parts. All of them were carrying large swords. The largest of the four who was about the same size as my host and was equally intimidating began to scowl at everyone looking in their direction. It was a not so subtle way of telling those around them to 'mind your own fucking business'. Most of the patrons in the bar were more than happy to oblige, as for me and the barkeep who was now eying the rugged quartet with suspicion, we were not as accommodating. I turn my gaze away from the four and resume drinking. Of course that didn't mean that I would simply leave it at that. Now normally I wouldn't bother to listen into someone's conversation since I felt that it was a rude thing to do, but the fact that one of them mentioned the King of Swords… I guess I could make an exemption just this one time.

Reinforcement… a type of magecraft unknown to most of the magus of Halkegnia. A spell that pushes the basis of something to the utmost. When applied to an external object it enhances its purpose of existence. A reinforced sword or knife becomes sharper and reinforced armor becomes more durable. Applying it to a living thing is quite difficult but the result is nothing less than extraordinary. A human who reinforces his limbs would be able to run at speeds that would rival the fastest horses while a reinforced body would enable one to survive a fall that most men would die from. Reinforcement of the senses if done correctly proved even more useful. Though simple in form, it's a formidable skill to have and is quite handy in many situations. But with that said it's actually very hard to do. In fact, only three people have been known to be able to use this type of magecraft: my father, my teacher the Duchess of emptiness, and myself.

Reinforcing my sense of hearing I home in on their voices and what seemed to most as inaudible whispers to me became loud and very clear statements. It was like the four of them were sitting next to me and speaking directly into my ear.

"How many times do I have to tell you to keep your trap shut..! You always do this when we're outside! Do you really want me to cut your tongue out!"

"S-sorry boss. Just couldn't help myself."

"So Nico, where'd you see him then?"

"I didn't see him per se. It came from a friend of a friend of mine who knew a merchant who did see him."

"Hogwash! Just a bunch of rumors and tall tales, nothing more!"

"But Boss, don't you remember another rumor that we heard in Rosais of how most of the orcs were leavin' their villages and movin' to the mountains. Maybe that rumor is connected to this one? We all know how much the King despised them orcs."

"I don't know about this boss. You think we should lay low for a while? Maybe even postpone the raid of that Orphanage in Westwood?"

Orphanage… in Westwood? They couldn't be referring to the same orphanage that I was heading to, could they?

"Stop it you yellow-skinned pussies! We're not postponing anything, especially not because you idiots are so easy to scare! Rodney's been scouting that place for a week and from the messages that he's been sending me that place is loaded. No guards and only a big breasted woman as the caretaker. The place is practically begging to be looted so pull yourselves together and shut up!"

"…"

"…"

"…Wait Boss, what's this about a big breasted wench?"

"The caretaker? Yeah. From what Rodney tells me, the woman has got a pair as big as an adult man's head. The moron's been begging for a go at her but I keep telling him to wait for us. Besides, if anyone's going to have the first turn then it definitely WILL BE ME."

"Course Boss! But you'll be sure to leave some for us, right?"

"I'll think about it. And besides, I thought you were infatuated with that Queen of yours?"

"Still am. I even have this small sketch that I stole in a shop in Tristania."

I slightly turn my head just enough to get a glimpse of the object that they were talking about, dreading what I might end up seeing. And sure enough I almost dropped my cup as my reinforced sight saw a piece of parchment with a nude charcoal drawing of the Queen of Tristain, Henrietta de Tristain, on it. Objectively speaking, it was a very well drawn sketch though the artist did take certain liberties when it came to the Queen's figure, particularly the chest area. Also the waist was a bit too thin, and the hair was half an inch too long. I guess having very little reference to go by (I highly doubt that the Queen would willingly pose for something like this), the artist simply let his or rather his patron's taste dictate how the sketch would come out.

"You alright, young'un?" the barkeep asked with concern. He must've noticed the abrupt change in my facial expression. "You look like you've swallowed a lemon there."

"…I'm okay. T-Thank you." I replied, stuttering a bit. I couldn't really help it since it's not everyday that you see a naked (but fake) sketch of your mother being lusted over by a rather unscrupulous bunch.

"Look at those breast!" the man holding the sketch sounded off. "I wouldn't mind falling asleep on those melons after a dishonest days work"'

"Keep dreamin' cause the closest that you'd ever get to touchin em would be through that piece of paper. And 'sides, I doubt you'd have the balls to even lust over the Queen if the King was still alive..!"

"Well it's a good thing his dead then cause that means that I can have my Queenie all to myself!"

My hand was shaking now, so much so that I had to put down my cup momentarily so that I wouldn't spill my drink. I always hated those who tried to take a pass on my mother, even those Nobles who tried to hide their intentions through the use of flowery rhetoric and cheesy lines. It's probably no great wonder why I was so pissed off right now being in the same room as this perverted bastard who was getting off using her image."

"Hey, you think if I dress up all tough carrying a bunch'o swords with me then Queenie might mistake me as the King?"

"Doubt it. From what I heard before. the King's suppose to be one hell of a ladies man so I'm guessin that he was somewhat good lookin' and you're the furthest thing to goodlookin' this side of Albion."

"Shut your trap!" The man holding the picture blurts out. "So what if I ain't the handsomest guy around. What matters is I come up big in the places that actually count." he then proceeds to grab his crotch suggestively and starts licking my mother's sketch. "Ain't that right, Queenie. I bet your sheaths been empty for so long that you'd like me to fill it with my sword right!"

The whole table erupts in laughter. I, on the other hand, was ready to kill.

A faint shattering noise is heard through the tavern. I looked at my hand and see that the cup that I had just put down and picked up again had broken due to the tightness of my grip. Some of the sharp glass pieces had dug into the flesh of my hand, but the pain was being blocked out by the anger that I was feeling.

"Oi, young'un! Is somethin' wrong?"

"Sorry about that. I just spaced out and gripped it tighter than I should've." I apologize, trying to mask my loss of composure with a genial smile. "I'll be sure to pay for it before I leave so-...|

"No worries, young'un." My host quickly brushes the incident off. "Shit happens. And besides, you were patient enough to listen to this ex-mercenary's babblin' so let's just call it even then."

"Thank you. I really appreciate this" I thanked him though I still made sure to listen in on the four men seated on the table.

"It's best that we get out of here." the leader of the four orders. "We've drawn to much attention already. I don't want any rogue mercenary overhearing any of you three idiots talking about our plan and stealing our prize away from us."

They quickly nod and stand up. They stop by the counter to drop the payment for their drinks. The leader of their group seemed to have taken notice of me as he begins to stare me down like a manticore about to devour its prey. I, however, quickly turn my head away to avoid direct eye contact with him. I did that not because I was intimidated or scared of him... No, I did it because if he had seen my face then he would've no doubt felt the great animosity and blood lust that I had for him and his lackeys.

"Hmph!" I heard him snort as he and his minions left the bar; I however made sure to get one last good look at all of them before turning back to the barkeep.

"Looks like that guy doesn't like you for some reason." the barkeep in front of me comments. I didn't really care though since the feeling was mutual. "Anyway, about that wound of yours..." he looks at the small cuts in my hand. "I have some bandages and medicine here somewhere, so just sit there while I go look for them. Okay."

"Thank you, but that won't be necessary." I tell him. Being a water mage (though I never did go beyond dot level), wounds like these wouldn't be much of a problem to heal. I slowly get up from my seat and hand my host the payment for the rice wine that I drank. "It was nice talking to you, sir."

"You really are very polite." the barkeep laughs. "A shame that I don't see many young'uns like you here."

I slowly walk out the door, making sure to avoid the unconscious drunkards lying on the floor.

"Hey young'un!" the barkeep yells out to me. "Can you at least tell me your name before you go?"

I turn my gaze towards him and answer-

"It's Kiritsugu... Kiritsugu Emiya."

-(Scene Break)-

It was close to midnight now. With the twin moons hiding behind a blanket of clouds most people wouldn't have been able to see their hand in front of their faces, but that wasn't much of a problem for me. Even in the darkness I could still see the outline of the four figures that I had seen in the tavern earlier today. A fifth shadow had joined them and was walking behind the leader of the group. They were roughly thirty meters away from where I was standing, still unaware of my presence. With my reinforced sense of hearing, I listened in on their conversation.

"Rodney, are you sure there's no one beside the wench in that orphanage?"

"Well Boss, there was this guy who arrived a day go. But aside from that one, its really only the wench staying in the place."

The distance between me and the band of mercenaries was closing. They were only twenty meters away from me now.

"So is this guy gonna be trouble for us or what?"

"Doubt it. It's just one guy and there are five of us here so he shouldn't be much of a problem. Besides, boss is with us so there's no way that we can lose to just some random guy"

Only fifteen meters now...

"Of course. After all, Boss is one of the best swordsman this side of Albion. Hell, when it comes to fighting his probably as good as the King of Swords."

I smirk as I hear that particular statement. Ten meter left...

"Damn straight. That's why you pussies just have to follow what I tell you because if you don't then I'll-... Who's there!"

He shouts at me, finally noticing the person standing in front of them. I remain silent.

"Goddammit! Who the hell are you!"

All five of them pull out their swords, adjusting their stance as they prepared to engage me in battle.

"Are you mute or something! If you don't answer or get outta the way after three seconds then I'm gonna gut you like a fish!"

I simply stay as I was, standing quietly like a statue. That gesture alone was enough to irritate the hell out of all five of them.

"One!"

Silence.

"Two!"

Again, silence.

"So you're gonna keep acting like some tough guy, huh!"

I reply with what would be my first and last words of the battle: "His Body is made out of Swords."

"Three-!"

Trace on

"You asked for it, you son of a Bi-...W-What in Brimir's name!"

Shock was etched in every inch of their faces as two swords appeared out of thin air and was now held in both of my hands.

Tracing... a magecraft that projects the Prana from my circuits into any shape I chose. And like my father before me, I used it to trace weapons, especially swords. With tracing I could recreate almost every sword, halberd, spear, shield, axe, arrow... Every weapon that both me and my father had ever laid our eyes on is mine. And it wasn't just merely copying there shape and form. When we trace a weapon we recreate every aspect of its existence. We recreate the materials that was used to make it, its forging process, the battle experience that it had accumulated, its history... Everything that had made it what it was is taken into consideration. It is a superior form of recreation, something that was comparable to the firstborn magic of the elves.

In my left hand was Kanshou, the black falchion style chinese blade. And on my right was its white twin, Byakuya. This dual swords was forged centuries ago by a nameless husband and wife blacksmith duo. Among my father's armory of Noble Phantasms, the twin swords were one of the lowest ranked in his arsenal. But be that as it may they were still formidable and, along with Uncle Derflinger, were probably the weapons most associated with the King of Swords' legend.

I launch myself at all five of them, the speed of my charge comparable to a gust of wind thanks to my reinforced limbs. My first strike was immediately aimed at their leader, a swift diagonal slash by Kanshou aimed at his neck. He ,however, was somewhat able to get over his initial shock and block my attack with his sword. Unfortunately for him, the force of my swing was enough to dislodge him from his stance. It would take at least a second to recover his composure, but looking into his frightened eyes I think he knew that the second that he had was in fact a second too late. Aiming low this time, the sword in my other hand - Byakuya, slashes his leg. The severed limb flew through the air like a piece of bloody meat thrown non nonchalantly to the side. The man's body begins to fall but before he could even hit the ground I quickly reverse my grip on Kanshou so that its tip was now pointing downwards. In one fluid motion, the tip of the black short sword is brought down right on the man's chest where his heart lay hidden. As he lay there on the ground, his chest stabbed straight through, his gaze rest on the blade in my hand. His eyes widen in terror, he must've recognized the twin swords that I was currently wielding.

"T-Those s-s-swords... You c-can't be..! K-K-King of S-swords!"

I twist the blade in his chest a bit, just for good measure, before taking it out and staring back at the four that remained. It seemed that quite a bit of spunk had been drained from them since I could notice their legs visibly shaking as their grip on their sword loosened. Whether this was caused by that brief display of skill that I showed them, seeing their leader slaughtered like cattle right before their eyes, or maybe hearing the now dead man calling me the King of Swords, I didn't really know though.

"Y-You! Y-You're the K-King of Swo-!"

I immediately cut his words short by cutting his entire arm off. As one of my mentors, Captain Guiche de Gramont of the Undine Knights, always told me: 'In battle, there is no need for words'. The spray of blood that gushed out of the great wound practically dyed his clothes crimson as he convulsed in pain on the ground. Turning my attention to the person closest to where I was standing, I swing my swords at both of my target's hand. In an instant, two more limbs fly through the air. By this time, the two who were left finally manage to pull themselves together and start making a run for it. A wise decision if I may say so myself, but it would serve them no good in the end. With the help of my reinforced legs I was easily able to catch up to them. As I passed each of them like a breeze of impending death, I swung the swords that I held in my hand against my remaining enemies. I swift strike by Byakuya perfectly aimed at the man's knee stops one them on his tracks as its blade cut away at flesh and bone. A second later and another strike - this time a vertical slash coming from Kanshou aimed at the last remaining target's eyes, followed suit. He rolls on the ground, writhing in pain as blood from his now empty eye sockets bathe his face red.

I stare at him for a good a five seconds as he hauled in pain, shouting and cursing incoherently on the dirt floor. This man was the same one that had lusted over my mother's image in the tavern. I had made sure to remember his face before they had left and had saved him for last so that I could appropriately teach him a lesson without having to worry about nuisances getting in the way. Standing over him like some sort of grim reaper, I bring down the twin blades in my hand, cutting both of his arms clean off. Stepping back slightly, I then move my gaze down and cut his ankles off. I kneel at the man's side and begin to rummage around his pockets. Finally finding what I was looking for, I take out the charcoal sketch of my mother and rip it apart. It was better that it be destroyed rather than be in the possession of men like this.

As the twin moons slowly came out of their hiding, their lunar light now revealing the scene of carnage that I left, I look back at my handy work. One dead, three gravely injured, and one maimed to the point that he'll need the assistance of a square class water mage if he ever wanted to live past this day.

Yup, just another day in my life.

-(Scene Break)-

I continue to walk through this winding road. Having asked around the previous town that I had just left, it seemed that it would take another day's worth of walking before I reached the village of Westwood. And even then I'd still have to ask for directions to find that Orphanage.

So why was I doing this?

What reason could Kiritsugu Emiya, son of Henrietta de Tristain and Shirou Emiya, crown prince and heir to the throne of Tristain (though only a select few actually knew about those two facts), have in traveling around the continent of Halkegnia like some hermit in the first place?

Two reasons, one political and the other personal.

The first reason was due to the current unrest surfacing both from external forces like Germania and Romalia and internal conflicts within the nobility itself.

Two decades ago my father,The King of Swords Shirou Emiya, together with her partner and master, the Duchess of Emptiness Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière, heralded what would be known as the military golden age of Tristain. Being one of the smaller countries in the continent, not to mention having a rather weak military force, Tristain had always been among first on the list of Kingdoms to be raided whenever a war broke out. Historically, it was one of the main reasons why the royal family had focused on forging alliances with its neighbors via marriage. But that all changed with the emergence of my father and the Duchess. Having performed neigh impossible feats which included the Battle of Saxe-Gotha where he stopped the advance of an army of 70,000 by himself, defeating and even killing a number of elves in one-on-one combat, the one man invasion of the Kingdom of Galia, the purging of the orc settlements in Romalia, and scaring the living hell out of the the entire Royal family of Germania; my father's reputation and legend had reached a point wherein entire countries themselves went out of their way to not incur his wrath. And because the King was romantically linked to my mother, the current reagent, it was widely perceived that any slight or challenge aimed towards Tristain or its Queen would be considered as an indirect insult towards the King himself. For a time, the once small and defenseless country of Tristain was actually considered as the most feared out of the four nations that Brimir had established. No one wanted to cross that line of disrespect and end up having their entire royal family beheaded while their guards and soldiers lay on the floor maimed and bloodied.

But along with that fear came resentment. After my father died, many of the nobility from both outside and within Tristain became uneasy. Now that the King was gone then they should've been free to do as they wish, and they would've too had it not been for three reasons.

The first was the strong relationship between Tristain and Galia. After the death of the former King Joseph (in the hands of the King of Swords no less), the new Queen who also happened to be a close friend of my father established an alliance with my mother, as both nations promised to aid one another during times of crisis. Galia being one of the more military oriented nations in the continent was no pushover. So a declaration of war against Tristain would also end up being one against Galia.

The second was the Undine Knights, led by Captain Guiche de Gramont. They were a special order whose top officers were trained by my father himself. And though their main purpose was to guard and serve the Queen, they too were equally skilled in infiltration, information gathering, and -if needed- assassination. Though none of their current members were anywhere near my father's level, they were still great in their own right and they could easily match and repel an attacking force three times their number. To join their ranks was to vow to live and die by the rule of steel.

And the third and biggest reason why no one still dared to wage war against Tristain even after my father's death... was the Duchess.

The Duchess of Emptiness, Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière. Daughter of the legendary Karin the Heavywind, the former master of the King of Swords, childhood friend of the Queen of Tristain and second-in-line to the throne. During her time with the King she too had made a name for herself and even until now is still one of the most feared mages in all of Halkegnia. When it comes to reputation and infamy, only my father and her mother could be ranked above her. Her mere existence was enough to deter any noble from doing something foolish. But as effective as the Duchess was, a deterrent could only be effective if it was constantly present at all times. The Duchess had a rather bad habit of disappearing and reappearing as she wished. There were times when not a word would be heard about her for months before showing herself in the court. The longest period that she had gone was two years and during that time both Germania and Romalia were all but ready to go to war against Tristain due to the long harbored grudge that they had for my father.

And so, one of my goals in this little field trip of mine was to serve as another kind of deterrent to calm that unrest. And it turned out that I was the perfect guy for the job. No one, aside from a select few, knows about the fact that the Queen of Tristain and the King of Swords were able to conceive a child. Nor are they aware that the said child is able to duplicate some of the abilities of his infamous father. So for the past six months, I've ended up fighting, maiming, and or killing a number of orcs, mercenaries, thieves, criminals, and even elves. All the while I made sure to copy his known tendencies as well as using his most famous swords. Thus why I would rather cut off the limbs of my opponents instead of killing them. Judging from the rumors swirling around, it seemed that I was doing a fairly good job in meeting my first goal.

But as much as I was relieved by that fact, I still couldn't shake the feeling that I was more like some creepy mass murderer, and thinking about it right now I wondered what my father would've thought in regards to the course of action that I took. I wouldn't really know though since he died before I was even born. And that's where my second reason for going on this journey comes in.

Since I was born after his death, everything that I know about my father came from his legends that have now become a part of the Lore of Halkegnia, and the stories that were told to me by the people who were closest to him. After hearing both accounts, two different images of him surfaced in my mind. One was a blood thirsty warrior, ruthless and fierce. An immaculate sword that had been forged to cut down all those who stood against him. A demi-god who walked amongst mortal men and made the impossible possible. The other was an image of a simple man who was able to derive joy from the most mundane chores like cooking and brewing tea. A reliable and trustworthy person who loved his friends and would die if needed if it meant that he would be able to save as many lives as he could. Those were the two irreconcilable images of my father. From the very moment that I conjured up those two images, I couldn't help but wonder which one was closest to his true nature, of how one man could be so many things to so many people.

So when I went on this journey, I decided to visit all the people that had come into contact with him. I wanted to know more about him, about the person who helped bring me into this world, about the hero whom I had idolized and respected from the time that I was a boy playing around with a wooden sword and even up to now that I have grown into adulthood and swung real swords.

I wanted to know him, even if only through second-hand accounts. I wanted to know what my father, Shirou Emiya, was like.

"Uncle Derf, it's been half a day now. Are you still made about what I said about you back in the tavern?"

No answer at all, huh?

"Jeez, how many times do I have to say I'm sorry? You know, for someone who keeps reiterating the fact that he's not human, you're seriously acting like one right now." and a really stubborn one at that.

Still no answer, huh? Now, if anyone were to walk by and hear what I was saying then they'd probably think that I was simply talking to myself and/or was crazy. I wouldn't really be able to blame them though since the thing that I was apologizing to was being really difficult right now. I sighed, I guess I'll have to bribe him with oil again and from what I heard items like that are a bit more expensive here than they would be in Tristain.

The path was getting darker now. If I were to take a guess then I'd say it was probably two hours past midnight. I debated whether it would be better to continue walking until I could reach a nearby town or simply sleep under one of the trees by the roadside. The first option was nice since I haven't slept on a real bed for a week now but I don't think that my current budget would allow me to do that. The second option was okay since I've slept outside in more than one occasion so I've gotten used to it. But sleeping outside did have its own draw backs, namely roaming bandits who try to rob and/or kill you while you slept. They weren't really much trouble though since they quickly find out how bad of an idea it is to disturb me while I'm sleeping. It's just that having to wake up every time does get on your nerves.

"I guess I'll walk for another hour to see if i can get to another... what in the root?"

A bright emerald light suddenly interrupts my quiet contemplation. I look in front of me and notice a large green ovaloid hanging in the air, shining like a miniature sun.

"Well would you look at that." a disembodied voice echoes from behind me, as the quillon of my sword started to move on its own as if it were a mouth. But instead of surprise or curiosity, there was amusement in the tone of its speech. It was like seeing this mysterious green ovaloid was the funniest thing in the world.

"Good to hear you talking again, Uncle Derf." I greeted the sword stowed behind my back.

"Hmph! Don't think that you're off the hook yet, kiddo! I still haven't forgotten that Ancient crap that you called me!"

"Seriously, Uncle. You really are one vindictive sword. Anyway, do you know what in the name of the five true magics is that thing?" I ask.

"Of course I do." the sword declared proudly. "I've seen that thing a handful of times already so I know exactly what it is."

"So... what is it then?"

"A summoning circle." he answers. "And it looks to me like whoever is on the other side wants you to be his or her servant."

"Servant?" I scrunch my eyebrows together. The word sounded familiar to me for some reason. And then it hit me like one of Miss Eleonore's lightning spells. Servant, a term used to describe human familiars. And from what I've been told, human familiars we're exclusive only to... "Wait, don't tell me that the person on the other side is a void mage."

"That's right" my Uncle happily points out. "So what's it gonna be, kid? Are you gonna keep the person on the other side waiting or what?"

I remain silent for the longest time, simply standing there and staring at the portal floating before me as I went through my options.

"Are you just gonna stand there like an idiot?" the sword chastises me for my indecision.

I closed my eyes and sighed. "No. I think I'll pass."

"Hmm... And here I thought that you'd jump on an opportunity like this since you always wanted to be like partner."

"Don't get me wrong, Uncle. If I didn't have to worry about a few things then I probably wouldn't even hesitate."

"Worry..? About what?" the sword asks again.

"Well, since we know that the person on the other side is more than likely a void mage, let's review all the facts that we know about them shall we." If I had a pointy object nearby then I would've started doing the infamous Louise Vallière lecture position number one which would include using said pointy object to 'point out the most obvious facts that even an idiot would know', and also punish said idiots if they retorted with something stupid. I always did want to try out the Duchess' lecture positions if I had the chance. "For one thing, we know that only four void mages can exist at any given time. Another would be that these four are spread out across the four nations that Brimir established in a one is to one ratio. So that means that we really only have four possible candidates available." I raise my hand and begin ticking my fingers up one by one as I discussed my four possible would-be masters. "Candidate number one would be the Duchess, but I highly doubt that it's her. And I'm sure that you know why that is, Uncle Derf."

After my father died the Duchess never again tried to summon another servant by her side. It didn't really matter though since she was strong enough to fend for herself. She probably wouldn't need a Servant in the first place since only someone who had a death wish would even think of attacking her.

"You're probably right, Kid. So what about candidate number two?"

"We're heading to her orphanage right now, aren't we?" I point out the obvious to my Uncle since it seemed that he was suffering from his chronic bouts of forgetfulness again. The fairy of Westwood. From what Uncle Derf tells me, she was suppose to be a half elf who nursed my father back to health after the battle in the hills of Saxe-Gotha. While recuperating from his wounds, he was able to discover the fact that she was a void mage. However, my father decided to keep this fact a secret. The reason being that since she had a naive and pure outlook of the world, he didn't want to taint that innocence and have her be used like some tool. Unlike the Duchess, the fairy of Westwood didn't have the luxury of having a war veteran for a mother. Of course, if it really was her then that would save me the trouble of having to look for her which is great. "...But I don't think it's her either."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"Well, if you think about it, she's never attended a magic academy. And since I doubt that there is any literature about magical theory available outside academic institutions then she probably wouldn't even know how to perform a summon servant ritual to begin with."

"You got me there." the sword states, agreeing with me on that one as well. "So who's next?"

My voice quickly took on a much colder tone as I described my next possible master.

"The exiled princess of Galia, Josette." She is Queen Charlotte's twin sister. After the former King Joseph's death, the power of the Void was transferred to her. Two decades ago she had instigated a coup d'etat against the current Queen and was able to usurp the throne with the backing of the Church of Romalia. Her reign, however, was a short lived one, only lasting less than a year. Be that as it may, she was still one of the main reasons for my father's death. Out of my four possible masters, she was the last one that I'd want. I would most likely end up just stabbing her where she stood before she could even attempt to form a contract with me.

"But she's been imprisoned in Alhambra Castle for over twenty years now." my Uncle points out. "Not to mention she's a top level prisoner so the chances of her escaping, especially without a staff or wand, is slim to none."

"Unlikely, yes... but not impossible." I answer back, not willing to let go of my paranoia. "But you're right, the chances of it being her on the other side of the portal is relatively small."

"Okay, we have the Duchess, the half-elf, and the ex-princess of Galia. So who's the last one?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "Sorry, no idea."

A full minute of utter silence follows before my Uncle was finally able to shout at me. "Just what kind of stupid answer is that!" my Uncle protested in outrage. "What do you mean you have no idea? Didn't you just say that you had four possible masters? Who's the last one then?"

"Like I said, Uncle. I really don't know. But we do have some clues about him or her?"

"Clues? Like what"

I start to ticking my finger one by one again as I enumerated my deductions in regards to my fourth would-be master. "Well, for starters we know that out of the four nations, only Romalia lacks a void user at present." the previous void mage of Romalia, the 32nd Pope of the Church - Vettorio Serevare, had died in the war that had also killed my father. "So he or she would probably be from Romalia or at least someone who was born there. Also, you remember the rumor that we heard back in the port of La Rochelle?"

"Oh, you mean the one about how Romalia has been sending out priests and priestesses in every village to conduct a census of all mages or people descended from mages?"

"Yup." I nod. "It's just a guess but it looks to me like they're growing impatient in their search for Romalia's void user. I wouldn't be surprised if they're forcing all the mages who don't have familiars yet to perform the summon servant spell." After all, the easiest way to identify a void mage is through their servants.

"So, we know who your four possible masters could be. But I still don't get what this has to do with you passing up the chance of being a servant?"

"Well, if my master ended up being one of the first two, then I would've been fine with it." although the thought of becoming the Duchess' servant sent a rather cold chill down my spine. "But as I said earlier, they're the least likely of the four that I mentioned. If it turned out to be Josette then..." the tone of my voice once again took on an icy aura. "Let's just say that I'd simply end up shoving three feet of cold steel down her throat the moment that I saw her on the other side."

"Well, what if it's the one from Romalia?" the sword inquires one more time. He was probably curious as to what I thought of this whole situation.

"All the more reason for me not to go then." I answered honestly.

"Is it because it'd end up being someone from Romalia?"

I shook my head.

I could understood why my Uncle would think that since the relationship between Romalia and Tristain has been unstable for quite some time now. The church had declared my father as a heretic. The duchess told me that it was due to how he viewed the founder, treating him as nothing more than another mage rather than hailing Brimir as some messenger from God. Also, the fact that it was my father who took the life of the former Pope Vettorio during the last great war simply added wood to an already blazing fire. Had it not been for the fact that Tristain was one of the four nations founded by Brimir and that the Royal family were the direct descendents of the founder himself, then the whole country would've been excommunicated by the church. But my reasons, although they still had something to do with the politics of the two countries, had nothing to do with such things like patriotism or racism.

"No it's not that. It's just that I'd rather not drag an innocent into the complicated world that I live in." If my would be master ended up being some fledgeling magus who had simply been forced to perform a summoning, then answering his or her call would mean trapping that person inside this web of politics and deceit. Also, if they ever found out about my true identity, then Tristain could be put in a bad situation.

"But aren't you worried that the mage on the other side might be called a failure if the summoning failed."

"It's for the best." I argued back. "It's better to be regarded as a failure than end up being a tool of the conniving few. Putting that aside..." I glanced back at my Uncle. "Why are you being so persistent about this anyway?"

"Heh, no reason. I guess I was just curious about how you would react to a situation like this."

Thought so. "Well since I've decided, I hope you won't mind if I take a small detour then." Hopefully, this thing didn't end up following me like an abandoned puppy. I'd be hard-pressed trying to explain to anyone as to why a green portal floating in midair was tailing me.

"Sure, knock yourself out." my uncle chuckled

As I was about to step to the side and walk past the emerald ovaloid. I hear a faint voice from the other side of it.

_"Please, help him!"_

I turn my gaze back to the summoning circle before me. The voice was feminine in tone and no doubt belonged to a young woman.

_"If anyone can hear me! Please, help him. I beg of you!"_

There was a sense of urgency in her voice. As if the person whose salvation she was pleading for was in the midst of a life or death struggle.

_"Someone..! Anyone..? Please help us!"_

I sighed. "I guess it can't be helped."

After hearing something like that, there's no way that I could just walk away now.

"Oi, Kid! What are you doing?" he asked confused as I started heading straight to the green portal. "I thought you said that you were gonna pass on this?"

"Didn't you hear her, Uncle Derf. Whoever is on the other side is in trouble. I have to help. I don't have choice."

"But what about all that stuff that you spouted about earlier?"

"I know but..." I stare intently at the portal in front of me. "I just can't ignore someone who's asking for help. And besides, I don' think that my father would've thought twice about about saving people who were in need."

That's right.

The Duchess once told me that 'saving people' was the ideal that my father held onto and believed in through out his life. It was what made Shirou Emiya who he was. And as his son, I felt that it was only right for me to uphold that ideal as well.

As Shirou Emiya's son, I had to answer the call. It was my responsibility to do so.

The sword resting against my back sighs. "You really are partner's kid. Well, if this is what you want to do then I won't stop you."

"Thanks, Uncle. Oh, and one more thing. Try to not talk for the mean time. I'm pretty sure that you're the only sword in Halkegnia capable of talking so it would be troublesome if they figured out who you are before we can decide if they are trustworthy or not."

"Aye. But don't expect me to keep my trap shut for too long if I ever see you do anything stupid."

"Fair enough. Well then..." putting my full attention to the green oval before me I inhale deeply before running through the portal.

After I entered the gateway, a blank inky void sweeps over me as the feeling of oil covering my whole body begins to dominate my sense of touch. The time that I spent in there was slightly longer than what I expected. For a summoning spell that was supposedly able to defy the laws of distance, I felt that it should've taken no more than a couple of seconds to reach my destination. But nonetheless I still am able to finally see the end of the inky void that I was inside of, a small light serving like an exit to a tunnel. I reach for that light, my floating body slowly inching towards it until my fingers were finally able to grasp it at last.

The void that had temporarily housed me quickly dissipates, and before I knew it my eyes once again are greeted by the sight of the twin moons as my body that reappeared twenty-four feet above the ground starts hurtling downwards. Quickly, I reinforce my body, readjust my position in mid air and fall on my feet like a cat. As I raise my head to look at my surroundings, my sight is immediately met by the image of a golden haired girl with elf-like ears, and possessing the largest pair of breast that I have ever seen in my life.

-(Scene Break)-

_And so she stares at the young man that had fallen from the sky and now stood before her, strands from his neatly combed reddish hair being softly caressed by the gentle breeze of the outside air. The ghoulish black attire that he wore was in complete conflict with the clean and almost regal look on his face. His sapphire blue eyes whose full attention was now completely on her was beautiful to behold. His confident stature, the calm yet serious look on his face, and eyes that burned like blue fire all contributed into creating the breath-taking image that she now viewed. It was almost enough to make her forget the small battle transpiring in the rooftops above them._

_Even before this, many surprises had already happened to her today...  
_

_She had just found out that she was one of the four bearers of the void. That she along with the Pope, King Joseph of Galia, and her friend Louise and Saito-san must work together to save the world from an impending danger. Such a revelation was quite the shock to her but still she was happy that she would be able to work together with everyone and be able to help them save as many people as they could. For the longest time she had viewed herself as nothing more than a burden to her friends, especially Saito-san, which is why she had always tried to be of as much help as she could. And now that she knows that she too was a user of the void she had to do her best to be of help to everyone. It was the reason why when she happened to bump into Mr. Colbert she had immediately asked the knowledgeable professor to teach her how to perform the summoning ritual for familiars. She was sure that if she had a familiar - someone like Saito-san - she'd definitely be able to help._

_And so, closing her eyes she had chanted and said the words that would summon her familiar..._

_"My name is Tiffania Westwood, Pentagon of the five-elemental powers, heed my summoning and bring forth... my familiar!"_

_But before she could reopen her sight so that she could gaze upon her familiar, the noise of shattering roof tiles draws both hers and the bald-headed instructors attention. Above them, she saw Saito-san fighting a hooded figure wielding a spiked chain-ball in his hand. The man was also summoning a number of golems as to both out number and corner Saito-san. Though she knew that Saito-san was strong, she couldn't help but worry and in her panic she begun to shout at the portal, pleading for help. She didn't want to be just a spectator anymore, she had enough of just standing there while her friends risked their lives and fought._

_"Someone..! Anyone..? Please help us!" she begged._

_And now, standing before her was the answer to her prayers._

_"-I ask of you. Are you my Master?" the young man in front of her asked in a tone that was simple yet powerful at the same time. _

_He stares at her with a quiet tension. This person wasn't doing this because he wanted to scare her, he was simply waiting for her confirmation. It was like he was an overzealous sword waiting to be unsheathed from his scabbard and unleashed upon her foes. Somehow, deep in her heart and soul, she knew that the moment that she answered yes then this person would fight and die for her sake. It was something that made her feel happy and sad at the same time.  
_

_That's right, if she wanted to be able to help, if she wanted to save her friends, then she had to answer 'yes'._

_And so this is where it all begins  
_

_The path has been set._

_The first step of a thousand mile journey has been taken._

_A journey that will be filled with swords and battles._

* * *

**Hey guyz, sorry for my really long hiatus. Had to do lots of stuff for work and I kind of lost my muse in writing fanfics due to the stress of dealing with real life shit. Anyway, thanks to a certain fanfiction -cough-HILLOFSWORDS-cough- written by an absolute genius, I got my muse back. So this mean I'm back to writing fanfics... HEll Yeah! Does it mean I'll be updating and maybe writing some fanfics as well... NOT QUITE! First off, the last two fanfics that I was working on will probably be on hiatus until I can get my urge to write their updates AGAIN! You see, we ended up moving house and I kind of left my draft for the completed chapters of those two in my previous house. It's going to be a bit awkward if I asked the new owners of the house if I can search their place for my drafts (assuming that they haven't thrown it out yet.) Also, I'm a bit rusty with writing fanfics so I decided to brush up by writing a fanfic dedicated to the fanfic that got me out of my funk. I'm not sure if I'm back up to par yet but hopefully I get back on track. If I do decide to update or write fanfics its going to be sporadic updates since I'm working graveyard shifts for my job but I will try to do at least semi-regular updates if I can manage (a few reviews won't hurt either).**

**So about this fic. I've said before that it's something dedicated to Hill of Swords. Like a thank you to gabriel blessing for writing such a good fanfic and was INITIALLY intended as a oneshot. If you noticed, majority of the fic was dedicated to giving out clues as to what happened to the cast after Shirou died. It also dealt with the cliffhanger mystery babymama that Shirou Knocked up at the last chapter. But while having the idea for this fic. I suddenly found out that ZnT actually was given a final 4th season. So I waited and watched said season and after finishing the show, ideas about what Shirou's would be son could do in that world started flooding my head. So I'm considering (and I do stress the word "considering") about making this whole thing into a full blown multi chapter fic that follows the events of ZnT F. I'll still be including certain info and tidbits from the novels (e.g. Josette) but the main core would most likely still be based on ZnT F. And a few more things that you might be asking right now. **

** (1) Why Kiritsugu? Well, I just figured that if Shirou ever had a son then he would probably name it after his father since he idolized him so much. Also I wanted to do some sort of parallel with how Shirou's son idolizes him sort of the same way that he idolized Kiritsugu. Also if you're debating that the name wouldn't really fit because there's a chance that Shirou never knew that Henrietta (and yes, my bet for Shirou's baby mama is Henrietta) was pregnant, although I'm not GB so I can't confirm or disapprove shit. Since Derf somewhat alluded to the fact that he kinda knew that the baby coming then chances are Shirou did too. And who's to say that before he died, shirou didn't tell Derf to ask Henrietta to name their child after Kiritsugu. Again, just speculation in my part but even if I'm wrong then Kiritsugu I believe is still a valid name since she did hear Shirou mention him and his influence during the Faeries Inn arc and who's to say that she didn't name their child after Kiritsugu to honor the man whom Shirou idolized.**

** (2) So how can Kiritsugu perform tracing? my answer would be via dreams (aka: shared memories of swords). Think of it as something like a magic crest although not really. I'll explain the other details in possible future chapters. You can give me feedback as well, especially if your a type moon fan since depending on the translated VN's and Type moon wiki sometimes gets confusing.**

**Anyway, hope to see you guyz soon. RnR... AND GO LAKERS! LORD GAWD-BE PLEASE LEAD US TO THE PROMISED LAND!_  
_**


	2. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

"-I ask of you. Are you my master?" those were the first words that I said to the blonde before me. I didn't really need to ask her though since the moment that our eyes met I was immediately able to feel it; the soft thrill of prana that was not my own that had suddenly begun to course through both the veins of my blood and the circuits of my magic. Even if she had yet to answer my question, I already knew for a fact that this person was most definitely my master.

My blonde summoner, however, seems to have been rendered speechless by my sudden arrival. I could somewhat understand why that would be the case. Most mages when summoning a familiar would probably expect a frog, a mole, or even a dog to appear. If they were lucky or fairly gifted then they'd get a bugbear or a fire salamander. And for the really powerful mages then Dragons, Griffins, or Manticores were usually the familiars of to be able to summon a human, although not unheard off, is extremely rare. It was a feat that could only be done by those who bear the power of the void, something that not even square class mages could duplicate. And for that reason, human familiars we're given the exclusive title of 'Servants'.

I stare at her patiently, waiting for her answer, though the girl in front of me remained frozen. Just when I was starting to think that we may end up simply standing here all night like two idiots, I hear the sounds of a fierce battle being waged above us. Briskly walking past my summoner, I reinforce my eyes to see what was happening. I immediately see two figures engaged in combat. One of the combatants was a young man with black hair wielding a sword that, oddly enough, bore a great resemblance to Uncle Derf. He was wearing a navy blue tinted cloak which I immediately recognized as one specifically given to a chevalier. His opponent on the other hand was a big-bodied male, similar to the barkeep and the now-dead leader of mercenaries that I had met earlier. His face was obscured by the hood that he was wearing as he held a steel mace in his hand. It seemed that this person was an earth mage as well since he was summoning a rather large number of golems to his side. If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say that the hooded figure was easily line class, maybe even triangle. The black-haired chevalier, though he was putting up a valiant effort, was now being cornered. It wouldn't be long before he was overwhelmed by the sheer number of his opponents.

I glance back at the blonde. "I'm assuming that it's the chevalier who you want me to aid, am I right?"

She gives me a light nod. "…Y-yes." she answers in a rather shaky voice. It was the first reply that I heard from her. And although, technically, our contract was yet to be completed, I decided to treat it as I would a real order from a superior and prepared myself accordingly.

"Understood. For the meantime, please look for a safe place to hide."

Trace on.

Accessing my father's armory, I again trace Kanshou and Bakuya, the twin swords appearing from out of thin air and were now firmly gripped in both of my hands. Reinforcing my legs to their utmost limit I do a running jump from the place where I once stood and easily leap over the tall building in front of me. In an instant I was now on the move and using the loose bricks of the wall in front of me as footholds to climb up. As I near the summit of the wall where the battle was transpiring, reinforcing my legs to the utmost, I jump one more time and in an instant I was airborne, hovering a few feet above the two warriors who had stopped in their skirmish as they were taken by surprise by my arrival. As I began to fall towards the hooded figure, I use the force of my downward trajectory to make my first attack. My target, however, is able to block my first strike but at the cost of his weapon breaking. The roof beneath him quickly gives way as he crashes down to the room below. I quickly jump down the gaping hole to go after him, trying to follow up with another attack and prevent him from gathering himself. But it seemed that my opponent was aware of what I was doing as he immediately rolls away from the spot where he had landed and now stood a few feet from where I was, his stance crouching low as to either prepare a counterattack or an impromptu escape if possible.

"Who in Brimir's name are you?" he asked. His eyes narrowed as they stared at me with caution. I remain silent, refusing to reply, as I lowered my stance as well to prepare for my next attack. After all, the dead had no need for answers.

"Tsk. Fine." He mumbles to himself as he picks up one of the small debris and quickly transmutes it to something that resembled a bastard sword.

"Watch out!" I hear a voice calling out to me from above. Looking up I see the black-haired chevalier that I had aided standing at the side of the gaping hole of the roof as he pointed at a trio of humanoid size golems that had leapt down at me. My opponent, seeing my focus shift away from him charges at me, sword in hand and ready to cut me into two. Objectively speaking, it was a good move. If I tried to shield myself from the attack above then he'd have easy pickings to what part of my chest he wants to skewer. If I block his frontal assault then the three golems would have a clear shot at my head. If I split my attention to both of them with one sword blocking his attack and the other trying to fend off the three nuisances above me then I'd just be asking for trouble. The normal option that most people in my situation would choose would be jumping backwards to avoid both attacks, but that would put me at a disadvantage since I'd be pressing my back against a wall.

However, I wasn't like most people.

I quickly cross both my hands behind me and throw both Kanshou and Bakuya high to the side. Now, with both my hands free, in one swift motion I draw Uncle Derf from his sheath and block my foe's frontal attack. At this distance I could easily discern his face. His skin had a light brownish shade and his face was painted by two thick red lines partnered by two thin lines of the same color that ran from his forehead, passing over his eyes and ending at his white colored sideburns. I'd be willing to bet whatever was remaining of my budget that this guy was a mercenary. I could tell since I've fought and killed quite a few during my six month travel. I could see a mad smirk slowly forming on his once calm face. He probably thought that it was I who had made the first mistake of this match and it would only take a few more seconds before his golems do me in. He was right since one of us did make a mistake. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't me though.

My lips curve a bit, forming a confident but also very cold smirk that unnerves the man that I was clashing swords with. A loud sound echoes from above us, as little pieces of rubble start to rain over our heads. In the next instance, my opponent's eyes widen as he quickly backs away, barely avoiding death as the black and white short swords that I had seemingly thrown away had converged at the very spot where he stood just moments ago. He isn't able to escape unscathed though since I could see a small cut on his left ankle, a bit of blood slowly dripping from the wound. He looks at the two swords representing yin and yang in disbelief, their steel frames crossed together as if embracing while the tips of their blade lay embedded on the ground. Just as the husband and wife blacksmiths that had forged them were inseparable in life, so too are these twin swords. Duel blades that were made to always seek each other out like two lovers. As the two constructs dissolve into nothing, I immediately go back on the offensive. With Uncle Derf in hand I close the distance between us as I start swinging at his vital spots. The power behind each blow and the rapid succession that I was stringing my attacks together had relegated my foe to simply blocking my attacks. It also didn't help that his wound had somewhat limited his mobility. Bit by bit, my attacks begin to bypass his defenses as Uncle Derf's blade starts grazing his skin. It wouldn't be long before I completely overwhelm him.

Sensing his defeat approaching, he attempts a last ditch effort to escape. For a brief second, he loosens his defense as if preparing to cast a spell. Taking full advantage of this opening, I take a swing at his neck but he just narrowly avoids death as he sacrifices his own left hand to shield himself. At that instant, a small golem appears from underneath me. Switching my grip on Uncle Derf, I thrust downwards, impaling the little golem before it could do me any harm. The slight distraction, however, gave my foe enough time to distance himself from me as he rushes over to one of the glass windows of the room and jumps through it. I wasn't going to let him go that easily though as I follow suit and give chase.

Emerging from out of the dark room where we previously fought, my prey and I were once again outside, running through the rooftops of some of the low-raised buildings around us. He was definitely agile since he was able to create a bit of distance between us with just a few seconds worth of distraction, but even I could tell that he couldn't move as fast as he wanted to due to the wound that I was able to inflict on him. Pouring on the speed, I quickly overtake him, swinging the blade in my hand as I passed him by. He was able to block my attack, but with only one hand holding his conjured sword and an injured ankle to boot, the force of my blow was still enough for him to lose his footing as he starts rolling down the rooftops and falling onto the courtyard below. As I surveyed the new area where we would be continuing our battle, I soon realized that I had made a terrible mistake as I see my summoner still rooted on the exact place where I had left her. It seems that she had not listened to my advice at all; she looked as if mesmerized by the glimpse of battle that she had seen.

"Tsk! Guess it can't be helped."

Cursing myself for making such a mistake, I jump down to the courtyard but instead of pursuing my prey, I quickly ran over to where my summoner stood, placing my body between her and the wounded mercenary who was now back on his feet and standing just twenty meters from where we were. He looks at me as if wondering why I was making no attempt at resuming my assault on him. His gaze drifts to the girl behind me and I see a smirk slowly forming on his lips. He must've figured that as long as this girl was present then I wouldn't be able to pursue him freely. And he was absolutely right. As a servant, the safety of my master is my number one priority, taking precedence even over the pursuit of my enemy. Taking one more look at me, he turns around and readies himself to jump over the wall that was in front of him. But before he could do so, a pillar of fire erupts in front of him. The pillar begins to mold itself and in the span of seconds it had taken the shape of a large serpent which now blocked his path of escape. I look around and see the bald-headed man who I had seen together with the girl behind me when I first appeared, his wand drawn out and aimed at where the flaming serpent is. Considering the sheer size of the flame when it had initially appeared, the person who had cast that spell would easily be identified as someone who was at least triangle level. But to actually be able to control a spell of that size to the point that it can be given such a detailed form, not to mention the speed by which it was done; this person was most definitely a square class mage.

I give him a slight nod as thanks for assisting in my foes capture.

My enemy, faced with a new dilemma in the form of this bald-headed magus, goes quiet with a rather serious look on his face. He was probably reassessing his situation. He really only had two options right now; either surrender or try to fight his way out. And judging from the expression that I could see on him, surrendering was the furthest thing on his mind. Which meant only one thing...

Slowly backing away from the serpent, he begins to mutter something that resembled an incantation and in seconds the ground beneath him elevates two stories upward as it begins to shape itself in the form of a golem. His eyes switch from me and my blonde summoner to the bald fire mage that flanked his other side. He shifts his gaze towards me again, as if to say that he'd rather face a mysterious swordsman whose movement is currently limited due to having to protect a civilian rather than confronting a square class fire mage. It was a sound decision, something that I would have done myself considering the lack of information that I had on my opponents.

But nonetheless, it still was the wrong choice.

"Get down." I tell the girl behind me before returning my gaze to the golem. I carefully sheath Uncle Derf back to his scabbard. With both my hands now empty, I trace a long bow on my left. The length of it was abnormal as it far surpassed the standard measurements of any ordinary bow. But that is because it wasn't designed to fire just ordinary arrows.

"His body is made out of swords." chanting the first line of the aria that served as the key to my father's unlimited armory, I pull out another one of his more well-known swords.

Trace on.

On my right, a sword reshaped into something that resembled a giant screw appeared out of thin air. Loading the sword onto the bow on my left like an arrow, I aim at the golems center. From the high perch where he stood, my opponent looks down on me with a puzzled expression, probably confused as to why I would even consider firing a sword from out of a bow against a giant golem. As I drew the sword back preparing to fire it at my target, I begin to flood it with my own od. The sword glows white hot as its structure starts to collapse from being overloaded with magic. It had become something unstable... something dangerous... something broken.

"Fly, Caladbolg!" I shout out the swords name as I released it from the bow that cradled it.

Caladbolg II, its original had belonged to a man named Fergus mac Róich and was a sword that could easily cut through rock like water. It had been modified by my father to become more aerodynamic, thus making it arguably the most destructive projectile weapon in his arsenal. According to legend, he had once used it to punch a hole right through the magically enchanted wall that protected the royal castle of Germania. The moment that I had released it from my fingers, the golem in front of me had absolutely no chance of surviving.

"I-Impossible!" my foe shouts as his prided golem is brushed off like nothing, its frame falling a part as the magic that held it together could no longer salvage its form due to the massive the damage that it had incurred. My opponent, after the brief moment of shock, is able to regain his composure though and makes one more attempt at an escape, using the falling debris as stepping stones to try and jump over the wall near him. But I wasn't going to let that happen. I had dragged out this battle for far too long, it was time for me to finish this.

"His blood is of iron and his heart of glass."

Chanting the second line of my aria, I delve into the infinite armory once more as I traced another one of my father's favored projectile weapons.

In my right hand that was empty just moments ago, another sword appears. It was a pitch-black weapon, its shade darker than the very night itself, with a few small edges coiling around its thin core, spiraling around it and somewhat curving outward. I load the weapon onto the bow in my hand as my reinforced eyes remained glued to my escaping foe. Whispering its name, I unleash it upon my unsuspecting target.

"Hrunting."

The Hound of the Red Plains. A sword that had once belonged to a Hero named Beowulf, who used it to kill the mother of one of his monster adversaries. Like Caladbolg, my father had modified it as well, turning it into a make-shift arrow. It was considered as a rather infamous weapon in Romalia since he had used it to kill the former Pope Vettorio, thus earning it a second name in that country: 'The Devil's Hound.'

Upon its release, Hrunting is quickly enveloped in red light. Using the most direct path towards its target at speeds that would shame even lightning itself, it hunts down its prey like a bloodhound. And as long as my sight is glued to the person or object that I'm aiming at, Hrunting will continue to hunt its target. Thus, escape was close to impossible.

In an instant, it shoots past my opponents back, producing a hole that was no bigger than a fist, as his body falls to the ground like a marionette that has just had its strings cut. Looking at my opponent, I was a bit surprised to find that he was still alive. The wound that hrunting had given him was a fatal one but my foe seems to still have enough life to continue crawling on the ground, his blood leaving a trail of crimson stains on the floor. De-tracing the bow in my hand, I begin to walk over to the now dying man as I draw Uncle Derf from his sheath once more. As I stood in front of him like some sort of death god, he looks up at me from the ground where he was dragging his dying body from.

"W-What a-are... you?" he asks, blood dripping from his mouth.

"A servant." I answer back. It was my way of showing courtesy to someone who was about to die.

I slowly raise the sword in my hand, it's blade reflecting the moonlight being emitted by the twin moons from above.

"...W-Wait, what're you doing?" I hear my summoner's voice stutter at a distance. It seems that she had finally gathered her senses together. "Wait, d-!"

But before she could finish whatever it was that she wanted to say, the blade in my hand had already been brought down, severing the now dead man's head clean off his shoulders. My eyes follow the rolling thing as its progress continued before finally being stopped by a nearby rock. The severed head's eyes were closed, he had probably accepted his fate the moment that I had raised my sword to behead him.

With the threat now eliminated, I sheath Uncle Derf back to his scabbard for what hopefully would be the last time tonight as I make my way to where my summoner was. Standing straight before her with the utmost confidence emanating from my stance, I slowly go down on one knee, kneeling before her like a proud knight before a Queen. Bowing my head in both deference and respect, I repeat the same words that my father had used to introduce himself to the Duchess.

"Upon your summoning, I have come forth. I ask of you again, are you my Master?"

I patiently wait for her answer but it seemed that none was forthcoming. From what I heard from the Duchess, my father initially had to deal with a language barrier when he was first summoned so the first meeting between the two of them had been accompanied by a bit of frustration, but that was quickly remedied by her. I had thought that my situation would be much easier since I wouldn't have to deal with such a problem. Could I have been mistaken? I raise my head to see what was wrong, and I quickly see the frightened look in her eyes. Her gaze was constantly shifting from the dead corpse and back to me as she starts to slowly back away. Her body was shaking uncontrollably; even her breathing had become uneven. She ends up stepping on a nearby rock as she falls on her bottom, her sight now solely focused on me as the terror that glazed over them remained. I continued as I was, kneeling on the floor as I met her frightened gaze with a stern one of my own, waiting patiently for her to get her act together. But after over a minute of awkward silence I begin to lose my patience. Deciding to end the ritual now so that we could both get some well-deserved rest, I stand up once more and approach the spot where my master is. Kneeling again just as I did earlier, I soften my expression so as to try and ease the tension in the air.

"I apologize for this in advance." I tell her. And before she could even ask for what it was that I was apologizing for in the first place, I close the distance between the two of us as I quickly lock my lips with hers. The texture of her lips was incredible, they had such a profound softness in them and together with the natural fragrance of this girl I actually ended up making the kiss longer than it should've been. And to think that my first kiss ended up being with such a beautiful girl ('technically' speaking, people would probably consider this as my second kiss if they take into account the little accident that I had with Uncle Scarron. But the elements will be damned before I consider that as my first kiss!).

As we finally drew apart, I give her a smile... and afterwards the girl proceeds to faint, her unconscious body falling forward right on to me. I couldn't help but sigh at the rather weird turn of events. As I supported the girl with both my arms, I wait patiently for the final part of the contract to occur. Soon enough I feel a surge of pain erupting from a certain part of my body. Surprisingly, however, the pain did not come from either of my hands or even my forehead which were the places where I had thought that they would come from. Instead, it was coming from my chest, a bright light that slightly shines through my black sleeveless shirt and was literally burning my skin and flesh. Gritting my teeth, I bear with the pain until it finally subsides. And with a sigh of relief, the most awkward/weirdest summoning ritual in the history of Halkeginia finally comes to an end. Starting today, this blonde girl that lay unconscious in my arms was now officially my master.

I glance behind me and see the bald-headed fire mage that had helped me earlier walking over to where we were. Trailing behind him, were two other figures. The first one I recognized as the black-haired chevalier that I had helped earlier, while the other was a new arrival, a rather petite looking girl who had long flowing hair, so strawberry blonde that it would most definitely appear almost pink if given enough lighting. She seemed familiar to me somehow, but I really couldn't put my finger on why that was. I stand up as I carried my master in my arms as I met with the three of them.

"I see. I suppose that you are Ms. Westwood's familiar."

"Servant." I calmly correct the fire mage. The distinction had been drilled onto me by the Duchess so many times (I still have the scars to prove it) that I couldn't help but blurt out that correction. Fortunately, my sudden interruption doesn't seem to have offended him as he takes it in stride. Focusing my attention on a more important matter, I politely ask the man in front of me for a favor. "If you would be so kind, sir. Could you guide me to where my master's bedroom is?" I inquired.

"B-B-B-Be-Be-Bedroom!" the petite girl stutters, as if she had just heard something inappropriate.

"Yes, is there a problem?"

"Of course there is!" the black-haired chevalier protests. "What the hell do you think you're going to do to Tiffa!"

I sighed. Seriously, what is wrong with this people? "I simply wish to carry my master to her quarters so that she can rest." I answer back. I know that my master possesses a rather seductive body that would probably turn a weak-willed man into a beast in heat, but as both a gentleman and a servant I wouldn't even think of doing such a thing to her. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"He's right." the bald magus sides with me. "Miss Westwood is probably very tired right now so having her rest in her room would be ideal."

"But Sensei..."

"Now Saito, I think we should at least give him the benefit of the doubt. Afterall, he is Miss Westwood's fami-..."

"Servant." I correct him again. I was getting a bit peeved now. As much as I appreciated having this man take my side, it was still annoying to have to correct someone in regards to something that was supposed to be common knowledge already. If the Duchess were here, we'd all be standing in the middle of one giant crater right about now.

"As I was saying, he is Miss Westwood's _servant_..." I nod at him as I hear him righting himself. "So I'm sure that he wouldn't do anything to harm her. Isn't that right, Mr. Servant?"

He puts a fair amount of stress in the last couple of words. I could feel the intensity from him as he said them. I quickly realize the true meaning of the last sentence that he spoke, serving as both a sign of trust and a fair warning towards me, it was as if he was telling me: 'I will believe that you are acting in good faith but betray that trust and I will end you'. It was an attitude that I couldn't help but admire and respect. I think that I'll be able to get along with this man.

-(Scene Break)-

"What in the root have i gotten myself into?" I whined as I sat on the carpeted floor, my back resting against one of the walls of the room that I was staying in presently. To my side was the sleeping figure of my master as she lay on her bed after I had tucked her in.

After a brief delay, the fire magus that I met earlier had guided me to where my master's room was. On the way, he had introduced himself to me as a Mr. Colbert jean and that he was a professor in the Tristain Magic Academy. This had somewhat piqued my curiosity since from what I heard the headmaster of the academy also went by the name Colbert so I couldn't help but wonder if the two were related. When I had asked him if he was a Tristain national and he had answered yes, I felt a strange sense of affinity with him as a fellow Tristanian, the fact that he was also a square class mage also boosted my assessment of him. But it did raise some minor questions from me since being from Tristain he should've been familiar with the legend of the King of Swords. After seeing me wield three weapons that were practically hallmarks of my father's legend, I couldn't help but wonder why he wasn't flooding me with queries about them. It was either he was simply being polite or something was off about him. With that in mind I thought that it would be best to continue observing for the mean time.

He had also been courteous enough to answer a few other questions that I had.

The first was regarding my Master. He had informed me that her name was Tiffania Westwood, a second year student studying in the Tristain Magic Academy. From what he has heard she was supposed to be a native of Albion and for a split second I thought that I might've actually been summoned by the fairy of Westwood. I immediately shook off that idea though after thinking it through. For one thing, even though elves had notoriously long life spans and were known to maintain a youthful appearance, their aging process doesn't really start to slow down until they hit their mid-twenties. If I take that into consideration then the fairy of Westwood's appearance would be something that resembled a mature woman in her twenties. And although my master's rack was more 'mature' compared to the ones that I've seen back home, she still looked more like a young maiden than she did a young woman.

The second was about my current location. He told me that I was in the Grand Cathedral of Aquileia, the capital of Romalia. Upon hearing this bit of information, it only strengthened my earlier assumptions regarding my master and the circumstances that may accompany her prior to me becoming a servant. Even though my master is supposed to be a native of Albion, there was a chance that she had been born here in Romalia. With the invention of the steam engine travel and migration between countries had increased quite a bit so the possibility of her being originally from Romalia was still there. Anyway, I could all just verify this with her once she wakes up, not to mention the fact that I have more pressing issues to address as of the moment. If this girl really was the void bearer of Romalia then the chances of her being used by the Church to further whatever in Blue's name they were planning was very high. It would probably be best if I simply go back to Tristania with her and have my mother put her under the protection of one of her royal guards, preferably with either Auntie Agnes' Musketeer Corps or Captain Guiche's Undine Knights...

...

...

...

Actually, scratch that last part. I must be out of my root-be-damned mind to even consider entrusting my Master to the Undine knights. It'd be like throwing a piece of meat into a den of dragons. Not to mention the fact that Auntie Monmon would kill me if she were to find out that I was the one who suggested the idea.

But putting that aside for now, I still had to somehow convince my master to go with my plan before I could even consider any of those options. And unfortunately, I have a feeling that convincing her to come with me might not be so easy.

I glance at my master who was sleeping soundly in her bed. Seeing the peaceful look that she had right now, I couldn't help but think back to the fearful expression that she showed me as I approached her after killing my opponent. When I first met her, aside from her rather large assets, I also noted the aura of childlike innocence that radiated from her. Her reaction after the battle only served to affirm that impression. If I were to wager a guess, I'd say that she had most likely lived a very sheltered life since her birth and what she had witnessed just a few hours ago was probably her first experience in regards to death in the battlefield. If that was the case then I may have ended up giving her a bad impression of myself, which could work against me when trying to convince her of certain things. I'll have to make sure to properly re-introduce myself to her (again) when she wakes up tomorrow.

Also, there was another thing that was bothering me...

"Uncle Derf, you've been awfully quiet since we got here. Is there something on your mind?" I ask the sentient steel propped up on the wall beside me. Ever since we arrived here, Uncle Derf had been silent. At first, I thought that it was to keep to that little oath of silence that we had before coming here. But now that we were alone, I had expected him to start jabbering away about our current situation, and also scold me on the mistakes that I had made in my previous battle. For him to continue his silence, especially after having so many things happen to us, was definitely disturbing. I really hoped that I was simply over-thinking this and that Uncle Derf was just being his usual vindictive self.

As I left my Uncle to contemplate on whatever it was that was on his mind, I decide to stay as I was for the mean time and rest in order to recover the energy that I had spent in battle.

Though I had the ability to project the swords that my father had gathered in his lifetime onto the real world, using it still takes a very heavy toll on my circuits. In fact, the Duchess once told me during one of our training sessions how I seemed to be using double, sometimes triple, the amount of od compared to what my father uses in his own tracing. So even though my magic circuits were superior to his in both quality and quantity, I can just barely trace the same amount of swords that he could. In my best condition, taking into account the amount of od that I exclusively allocate for reinforcement and a small supply that I reserve for emergency purposes, I could trace a maximum nine swords. Not to mention that number was further reduced by one for every Noble Phantasm that I end up breaking (sometimes more if the od needed to break the phantasm was a lot). Having traced a number of Noble Phantasms today, even ending up breaking one as well, my od had been greatly depleted so I needed to rest as much as possible.

As I sat there, resting whilst guarding my master, my ears that I had reinforced to detect any intruder that may come and try to cause trouble picks up the sound of footsteps slowly approaching the door of the room. Judging by the sound and pace of the footsteps, there were most likely two of them. Grabbing hold of Uncle Derf's hilt, I ready myself as I stare at the door, waiting for it to open.

There was a knock on the door as a female voice echoes from the other side.

"Tiffa, it's me, Louise. Are you awake?"

I didn't answer though since I wasn't obligated to, and to be honest I'd prefer it if they simply left and allowed my master to rest.

"We're coming in now, okay."

I see the door knob turn as the ornate door of the room swings open. And there, standing at the entrance was the other two people that I had met earlier; the black haired chevalier and the girl whose appearance troubled me for some reason. Both the chevalier and the girl looks at me and then glances over to where my master was sleeping before letting out a sigh of relief.

I give them a cordial smile. "I appreciate the fact that you are worried about my master's well-being and have even gone through the trouble of checking up on her. But I assure you that there was no need for it since she is perfectly safe with me." My smile widens a bit. "So please put away your weapons... or else I'll consider it as a declaration of hostility towards me and my master and I will have to act accordingly." I warned them, referring to how the chevalier was holding the hilt of the sword on his back and the girl pulling out her wand.

The chevalier nods as he lets out a grunt, his eyes still glued to me with suspicion swirling in them as he releases his grip on his sword, while the girl with him seemed to have been miffed by my threat. For some reason, seeing the look of annoyance in this girl's face filled me with a strange mixture of amusement and dread. It was a really weird feeling.

"Louise, calm down, okay." The boy tells the girl upon sensing that she was starting to lose her cool.

"I am calm!" she replies, gritting her teeth as she did so. If this was her calm, then I could only imagine what she was like when angry. "You!" the girl practically yells at me. She most definitely did not appreciate how I had addressed her earlier. "His holiness wishes to see you immediately, so you're coming with us right now!"

She stands there, her arms crossed, trying to tower over my sitting figure like a statue of prideful indignation. Unfortunately, she wasn't really getting the desired effect since I had a rather tall frame compared to most people and this girl in front of me was somewhat vertically challenged. So even with me sitting she was only about a head taller than I was. This girl's attitude was definitely one that belonged to a noble. The sense of entitlement, high degree of pride, and the feeling of superiority over others that they considered as beneath them. Everything that I absolutely detested from the nobility; this girl had all of them in spades. Though I was the prince of Tristain and rightful heir to the throne, due to certain circumstances I was never really raised as one. I had spent most of my youth practicing my swordsmanship, being trained by Auntie Agnes and Captain Guiche, and was given only passing knowledge when it came to courtly conduct and other things that an average royal should know. When I was finally old enough to travel, I ended up accompanying the Duchess on her trips to the countryside of Tristain from time to time as she tutored and helped me hone my skill in using my magic. It was during this trips where I finally saw the real face of most of the nobility of my country and the great irony of how the word 'noble' ill-fitted the majority of those who called themselves Nobles. In a way, it could be said that unlike a normal prince who would spend most of his time inside the castle walls, I practically lived outside of it and because of this I felt a greater affinity with commoners than I did aristocrats

"I refuse." I tell her bluntly.

"R-Refuse! What do you mean refuse?" she was seething now, while I on the other hand simply turn my gaze away, dismissing her altogether. "Do you have any idea whose offer you're refusing, you stuck up commoner!"

"Well, since you addressed that person as 'holiness', then I'm assuming that you're referring to the current Pope of Romalia. Am I right?" I answered sarcastically.

"Of course I am!" her voice rises even more, shrill with anger. "For his imminence to take the time to speak to someone at this hour is an honor that you should be thanking the founder for!"

"Sure it is." I give out a tired sigh which sets her off even more. "But could you tell the Pope that, regrettably, I must decline his summons. Once my master is fully rested, I will consult with her, and _maybe_ consider his offer."

I didn't mean to sound disrespectful (actually, I kind of did), but I was not really a believer in the teachings of the founder. As a mage, I definitely admired him and gave him the same regard as I would the Duchess. But as a holy figure, that was another story entirely. I guess my view of the Brimiric faith had been influenced by the Duchess who in turn had been influenced by my father who had been declared as a heretic by the church. It was quite ironic since from what I heard, the Duchess in her youth was a staunch believer of the Founder's divinity.

My last statement seems to have been the straw that finally broke the donkey's back as she raises her wand and prepares to cast a spell at me.

"You impudent dog!"

But before she could do so, a small black dagger flies through the air and grazes her wand arm producing a cut that, although was not deep enough to be considered a grave wound, was still sufficient to cause pain and draw blood.

The small projectile blade that I had thrown at her was called Dark, a favored weapon amongst the members of an enigmatic organization known as the _al-Assasīn. _They were a group that specialized in political assassinations that would help further their radical stance. Many lives had been ended by this blade but tonight, as much as this girl annoyed and bothered me, I chose not to quench its thirst for blood. After all, these two seemed to be friends with my master and if I end up killing them here then trying to get my master to listen to me would be straight up impossible.

The noble girl's wand drops to the floor as her other hand quickly covers her wound. Upon seeing this, the young chevalier quickly steps between me and the girl as he draws his sword against me.

"Louise, are you okay?" he glances back at the girl wincing behind him before setting his sights at me. "You! What do you think you're doing?"

"Defending myself." I answered, my cold stare directed at both of them. "Did she expect me to simply sit here like an idiot while she aims a spell at me? Well, sorry but I'm not a masochist." Besides, the only person allowed to attack me without any worry of retaliation is the Duchess. And that's because if I even thought about protesting then I'd just be inviting more pain.

"You, girl. Listen to what I'm about to tell you." I address the person behind the chevalier. "The only people who should kill are those who are prepared to be killed themselves. If you attack someone, then expect that person retaliate as well and not just take it like an idiot."

It was something that was a part of the unwritten rule of steel that the Undine Knights followed. It had been drilled onto my psyche in every training, every spar, and every battle that I had with and against them.

I sighed one more time. "Seriously, this is why I hate entitled, bratty noble girls." I whispered to myself although it was still probably loud enough for the other two to hear.

"En... Entitled..."

I gave her a passing glance and saw her whole body quivering behind the Chevalier. I really wanted to continue on with my rant, but I felt that I had already said enough and that these two would probably leave quicker if I didn't press on with the matter.

"Y-You... How dare you call me entitled!" she shouted at me and for a second I thought that my master would be roused from her sleep considering how loud this girl's voice was.

"Louise, calm down okay. Tiffa's sleeping and this is not the place for something like this." the Chevalier tried to reason with her, but the noble behind him wasn't having any of it.

"You brute of a commoner! You have no idea what I've had to go through! You don't even know me so how dare you judge me!"

"That's right, I don't know you." I told her bluntly, closing my eyes to calm myself down since at this point I was also starting to lose my temper. "And because you are not my master, I have no interest in knowing who you are."

"Y-You..!" I could feel her anger and killing intent all the way from where I was sitting. "I swear to the founder that you will rue the day that you insulted me, Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière. Remember that you dog!"

Upon hearing her name, my eyes immediately shot open. Did I hear that right?

"You. What did you say your name was again?"

She might've thought that I was making fun of her by asking that since she was practically red-faced now.

"I said my name is Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière and I'll make sure that the day will come when that name will strike fear in your heart every time that you hear it!"

First off, I wanted to tell this girl that she didn't have to wait since that name already struck fear in my heart every time I heard it. But more importantly, was this girl crazy? Unless that really was her name, impersonating the Duchess was just asking for trouble so why would this person do that.

And then, before I could even process what was happening, I hear another surprise pop up.

"Oi, Noble girl. Calm down already. And besides, it's my turn to ask questions now."

I had to do a double take when I heard that voice and even the sentient blade whose hilt I was still holding shook a bit. I stare at the sword stowed behind the Chevalier's back, the same one that I had noted earlier for having such an uncanny resemblance to Uncle Derf. And when I saw the blades quillon move as if it were a mouth, I had to literally make use of all the lessons that I learned in regards to courtly conduct so as to not show the absolute shock and confusion that was plaguing my mind.

"Sword boy, I just need to ask, those three weapons that you used back there were all Noble Phantasms, am I right?"

I hesitantly nodded, still unsure what exactly was going on.

"Thought so." the other sentient blade in the room pondered my answer. "The fact that you had three, and even broke one, definitely surprised me. So where and how did you get them? How in the heck are you able to even use them?"

I didn't answer, or more like I couldn't bring myself to answer or say anything. It wasn't just because answering that question would reveal more about my abilities to two people (three if you add the other talking sword) that I had just met which may end up compromising me in the future, but also because I was still in a state of shock. Everything about the sword resembled Uncle Derf. The scabbard, blade, hilt, the moving quillon, and even the voice were the same. I could only imagine what was on the mind of my Uncle right now.

"Noble Phantasms?" both the Chevalier and the noble girl asked, their heads cocked to the side in confusion as I envisioned little questions marks appearing above their heads. "What are you talking about, Derf?"

By heaven's feel and the forgotten fourth magic! Even the name was the same!

"It's an item or ability that is so legendary that it ascends into myth and gains incredible power," The other Derf in the room continues to explain to the two. "They're things that have immense power, capable of feats that can't easily be copied even through magic like swords that can easily kill dragons, shoes that can make you move faster than lightning, and god-killing demonic swords. I've even heard of a Noble Phantasm that can only be swung once, but is said to be able to even slice through mountains. They're the prized possession of the heroic spirits."

"Heroic Spirits?" the boy Chevalier asked again after hearing the rather alien term.

"They are legendary persons that were able to accomplish something so great in their life that after their death they became the object of worship and lore. Their spirits are placed outside the normal cycle of transmigration of the soul and their existence becomes something close to a divine being."

"T-T-That's... That's impossible!" the noble girl voices out as if she had just heard the most heretical thing in the world, which was probably the case. "There is only one god, and there is no way that a human can… Wait, if this commoner can wield those things you call Noble Phantasms, then does that mean that Tiffa summoned a... That this rude person is actually a..."

I sighed. I found it amusing that she found the thought of me being some sort of legendary hero or demi-god so baffling that she couldn't bring herself to say it.

"Didn't you hear what Uncl- I mean, what Derf said?" I told them, almost referring to the other talking sword as uncle. "For someone to become a heroic spirit, no matter how legendary he is, he has to be dead first. And I'm pretty sure that I'm still alive."

"Well, I guess you're right about that." the Chevalier comments. "But that still doesn't explain why you have them?'

"Sorry, but that's classified information."

"...You're not a time traveler by any chance, are you?"

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, sorry about that." the Chevalier apologizes as he starts rubbing the back of his head. "I just remembered a novel that I read back home. One of the characters who happened to be a time traveler would always say 'Classified information' to the protagonist every time they were discussing something top secret."

"Uh... okay." I really couldn't respond appropriately to something so random. "That must have been quite the interesting novel that you read. The author wouldn't happen to be the same one who wrote of The Sky Pirate and the Merchant's Daughter! or A Country Maid in the Hall of the Duke?" I asked with caution.

I remember back in my younger days when I once stumbled upon a large chest hidden at the corner of my most favored nanny, mother Siesta's room. I was a rather curious lad at that time and had decided to satisfy my curiosity by finding out what exactly was inside. Upon opening the chest I found a large number of books stored in it and began to read through them. That ended up being a big mistake. I was just reaching the age of adolescence back then so upon reading what arguably was the most graphic sexual literature that I had ever stumbled upon even to this day and knowing that those were the kind of things that my favorite nanny likes to read during her spare time, one could imagine how awkwardly I started acting towards her in the days that followed. It took me months of arduous training in the art of escapism and reality- denial before I could even attempt to look at her properly again.

"I doubt that." he answered and in turn I sighed in relief.

The previous conversation seems to have lifted the tense mood from earlier as both the Chevalier and I were now speaking normally to each other. The noble girl behind him still looked irritated though, so I decided to make amends with her. She was right in a way since I shouldn't just reprimand someone who I barely even knew, not to mention I still needed to find out if the name that she had told me during our little argument was actually correct.

"Miss Vallière," I addressed the girl as I recalled my lessons in regards to proper conduct. Standing up from where I sat, I slightly bow my head as I continued on. "I must apologize for my rude behavior towards you and deeply regret having insulted you and, by extension, your lineage. May you find it in your heart to forgive me and accept my apology."

My whole statement completely throws her off. That didn't surprise me though since I doubt that she actually expected me to apologize to her, and also because the manner by which I had apologized was how a noble would apologize to a fellow noble (which rarely happened, if at all). She started looking at me with a mix of confusion and surprise.

"Uh... I... Umm... I-I think that I too must apologize to you as well." she slowly walks out from behind the Chevalier and places herself in front of me. Lowering her head she gives me a slight curtsy which prompts the male Chevaliers jaw to become unhinged. I'm thinking that this girl rarely -if ever- apologizes at all and to see her do so to someone whom she barely knew was quite the sight to see for him. "I too regarded you quite rudely and acted in an unladylike manner. I would be more than happy to accept you apology if you were to accept mine."

"Then I humbly accept your apology." Interesting. It seems that discussion had now progressed from a quarrel between two strangers to a conversation between two nobles.

"However, in regards to our earlier conversation," I thought so; I already know what she was going to say. "I strongly implore that you join us in meeting his holiness tonight. He is quite eager to see you since he wishes to discuss a number of urgent matters. I believe it to be improper if you were to simply disregard his call without a sufficient enough reason."

I couldn't help but smile upon hearing her words. Right now, I was engaged in a battle against this person. But unlike earlier, when I was using steel to settle my fight, both this girl and I were using the Nobility's code of conduct to test each other's mettle. Our words were now like swords being swung at each other, the tone of our voice serving as our sturdy shield that we could fall back on to hide our irritation or annoyance. This was now a battle between two nobles, a pompous and overdrawn fight that involved stroking each other's egos while trying to get the other to follow what they want and liking it.

"I do see where you're coming from and I completely agree with what you just said," I tried to make my face as regretful looking as I could. "But again, I must decline." I knew for a fact that she did not like that answer since I saw one of her eyebrows twitch but the rest of her face remained as stoic as when she apologized. She must have been trained effectively by her parents when it came to fights such as this. "I am, first and foremost, a Servant. And as a Servant, guarding my master and following her orders is my top priority. To simply leave her and abandon my post by her side without her even knowing would be unbecoming of a Servant."

"Your loyalty is most commendable," she replies as she starts with her counterattack. "But I'm sure that his Holiness would be able to afford to assign a few soldiers to stand guard and watch over Tiffa while you're away. And the discussion with the Pope would only take a few minutes at the most so you would be able to return to your master's side quite quickly."

"You are certainly right, but again I must decline the Pope's summons." I answer back. "As a servant, to leave the duty of guarding my master to other people would disgrace me. Please tell the Pope that, sadly, I cannot answer his summons. But I would be more than willing to meet with him tomorrow as long as my master is with me and she herself does not refuse his invitation."

We both stare at each other for the longest time, neither of us even daring to blink. I could hear the Chevalier gulping; he too could probably sense the unique tension between me and the girl. After what felt like an eternity, the victor is finally decided.

"I see. Very well, I shall inform his holiness of your response. Please guard our friend and make sure that she gets enough rest for tomorrow."

"I will guard her with my life."

My answer slightly takes her aback. Smiling at me, her stance relaxes a bit. "Tiffa seems to have gotten really lucky, summoning someone as loyal as you."

"Hey! I heard that!" the Chevalier grumbles, offended by her comment for some reason.

"Do you mind telling me your name?" she asks further.

"Kiritsugu." I replied. I consciously made sure to exclude the surname that I went by, since it might give my identity away. But for some reason I felt that even if i didn't, it wouldn't have mattered.

There was just something really off about this place.

"Hey, isn't that a Japanese name." the Chevalier suddenly blurts out. "Could you be Japanese by any chance?"

"Japa...nese?" I pronounce the strange word. "I don't think so. My mother said that I was named after my grandfather but I'm not sure if he was Japanese."

"Well, from what I heard, Siesta's great-grandfather was supposed to have been Japanese too so there is that possibility I guess."

Siesta? No... It couldn't be. It just couldn't.

"Hey, is something wrong?" he asks, he must've noticed the slight twitch of my eyebrow.

"Nothing at all."

This world. It couldn't be.

"By the way, my name's Saito. Saito Hiraga. I'm Louise's familiar. And since your Tiffa's familiar, I guess were going to be working together from now on. I'm sorry for all the ruckus that we caused earlier. It's a good thing that we didn't end up waking Tiffa though." As he starts to lead the girl to the door, I found myself stopping him.

"Wait. Before you go, could you show me your left hand?"

"Huh? Sure, I guess?"

As he shows me the back of his left hand, with the dim light of the room I could just make out the runes that were etched onto its flesh.

"Uh? Is something wrong?"

"It's nothing." I replied as I let go of his hand. "It was a pleasure to meet you. Have a goodnight."

"Thanks. We'll be seeing you tomorrow then."

As the door finally closes and with the sound of their footsteps slowly fading, I turn towards the silent blade propped up on the wall.

"Uncle Derf, what in the root is going on here?"

"I'm not a hundred percent sure but I do have some ideas."

"Would you mind stating them for me, please?" I too had some theories in mind so I wanted to compare them with Uncle Derf's.

"Well, first things first. The girl that summoned you, the one currently sleeping on the bed, is without a doubt the Fairy of Westwood." he starts filling me in on what he thought was going. "When we first came here, although it took me awhile, I was able to recognize who she was. But the thing is that this Tiffa seems to be the same age as when me and partner met her after the war."

"How about that hot-headed girl that just left. Could it be that she actually is..."

"Aye." the sword answers almost immediately. "That was definitely the Duchess in her youth."

"But how can that be?" I ask. "She doesn't act anywhere close to how the Duchess usually is." I have known the Duchess all my life. She was many things to me; a mentor, a friend, an ally, and a big sister figure who had a rather bad tendency of using my misery to lift her boredom. She was always confident, calm, rarely shouted, and - if pushed to the edge- expressed her displeasure by showing those who pissed her off the most innocent yet terrifying smile in the continent, the infamous Louise Vallière scary smile. I just couldn't fathom how the girl that I was just talking to a few minutes ago, who seemed to compensate for some hidden personal issue with shouting and degrading others, could possibly grow up to be the great Duchess.

"You're wrong, kid." the sword tells me. "The Duchess wasn't always the cool yet terrifying person that you know. I remember after she and partner bought me from that weapon store in Tristania. She was a real piece of work back then with lots of issues, not unlike that girl that just left. I'm thinking that this current Louise hasn't resolved her problems as of yet which is why she still acts that way."

"So what you're saying is that by entering that summoning circle, we've ended up traveling back in time. Is that right?" I asked to confirm with my Uncle. We were actually thinking of the same thing but there was one aspect between my theory and his that differed.

"I'm guessing that's the case." the sword replied. "But there is something that's not really adding up."

"It's about that chevalier, Saito. Isn't it?"

"Aye, the Duchess has only had one servant and that's your father. Besides, as old as I am and even though I do _sometimes_ forget a couple of things, I never forget those who have been my partner. I can tell you for a fact that I don't remember being wielded by that boy."

"I see." the pieces were starting to fall into place now as the overall picture of what exactly was going on was slowly coming into view.

"By the way, kid. I gotta ask. Do I really sound like that?"

"Huh?"

"No, it's just that hearing my voice was kind of irritating. If he kept on talking for another ten seconds, I would've told myself to shut up. And what kind of lame nickname was that. Sword boy. I could definitely think of something that's ten times better."

I started to massage the temple of my head as the headache that I had tried to suppress finally surfaces. "Uncle Derf, is this really the time?" I stop my Uncle from continuing to whine about himself. "Putting that aside, I think that you're on the right track there. We may really be in the past right now. But, I don't think that we're actually in our own world's past though."

"What do you mean, kid?"

"Uncle, don't tell me that you've forgotten about it as well. The Kaleidoscope."

One of the five true magics. The second magic, the kaleidoscope, is said to be something that encompasses the Operation of Parallel Worlds. They say that those who are able to use it gain the ability to travel through an infinite number of dimensions, and even draw power from those dimensions which would 'theoretically' give that person an unlimited supply of magic. I remember hearing the Duchess also saying something about the connection of summoning rituals and the second magic. I never really listened to it much though since back then the idea of an infinite number of alternate realities, were things could either be very similar to your own world with only a few minor difference or having it be completely different beyond anything that you could imagine, was something that I thought was too absurd to be true. I guess, like always, the Duchess gets the last laugh again. Faced with quite a few evidences, I was more than eighty percent sure that I was in some parallel world. As to how different this world was from my own, I wasn't sure. And now that i considered that possibility, I couldn't help but think of how this fact just made everything ten times more complicated as the painful migraine that had started to well up in my head was becoming worse and worse.

I sighed for what felt like the hundredth time today. I guess this was just another thing that I could blame on the roo-! Actually, no. Now what did the Duchess always tell me in regards to headache inducing problems that were connected to the second magic? Oh, right.

_"Remember, little Kiri. If you ever find yourself being stuck in an alternate world and/or facing an evil version of either yourself or someone you know, always be sure to blame old man Zelretch. Okay."_

Well, with that in mind, I guess this is something that I have to blame on old man Zelretch... whoever in the root that is.

-(Scene Break)-

_"Is this person really my familiar?" _

_Those were the last words swirling in her head before she had lost consciousness. At first, she was completely in awe of the person that she had just summoned. Even to a novice like her who had little to no experience in battle, the power of her familiar was evident. The strength, the agility, and the skill that he displayed, everything about him just screamed power beyond anything that she had ever seen. But that feeling of awe quickly turned into dread as she saw her familiar raise his sword against a defenseless man. _

_Yes, the man had been their enemy._

_Yes, he had tried to hurt Saito-san and her familiar._

_But, though people would no doubt call her naive for thinking this way, the man had been defeated already so she felt that there was no need for what her familiar did._

_She remembered calling out to her familiar to try and stop him, but she was too late. His sword had already been brought down as it ended the life of someone. She remembered the sickening feeling of watching the man's head rolling down the dirt floor as it left a trail of blood at its wake. Glancing over to the corpse and back to her familiar, she noted the cold and merciless look in his sapphire eyes. He was indeed a sword, and like a sword it seemed that he felt nothing when taking another person's life._

_She wanted to cry._

_She wanted to vomit._

_She wanted to scream._

_She wanted to do all of those things and more, but her body could do nothing except shake in fear as he approached. She barely even understood what he was saying._

_And then the most confusing thing happened._

_When he approached her she saw the steel like expression on his face soften as he greeted her again with a smile. It was a radiant smile, like a rising sun chasing out the darkness during the dawn. For a second she wondered whether the cold-hearted man that she saw earlier who didn't even blink as he killed was a mere illusion, or maybe it was the other way around and this smiling saint who looked as if he couldn't even bring himself to hurt a fly was actually the mirage. It had to be one or the other because there was no way that someone could be both. Confused, her mind and body finally gave way when her familiar kissed her._

_That night, probably due to the stress of what had happened, she experienced a very strange dream._

_In that dream she saw a hill covered not just of green grass but of swords, countless in number and buried blade first onto the earth. Some were old and rusty while others seemed to have been newly made and filled with intricate designs. And on top of the hill was a sword that had been elevated above all others. It seemed that the other swords on the hill were but mere offerings to the one that had been placed atop of it. And on that very same hill, staring at the elevated sword, was a young woman and a boy._

_The woman who bore a rather eerie resemblance to her majesty, the Queen Henrietta, looked at the boy and smiled as she began to regale him with tales of a certain man. _

_She told him of the man's strength and how he could seemingly make the impossible possible._

_She told him of the man's kindness and loyalty and how it drew many to his side._

_She told him of the man's wish, to save those who were in need, and how he spent every day of his life trying to make that wish come true._

_And finally, she told him that this great man now forever slept beneath the same sword in front of them and how before he finally rested he left one final gift to the world as proof that he had lived._

_The woman turns to the boy and kneels, not minding the dirt that started to stain her white dress. Looking at him she goes on to say that the gift, the proof that the great man had left... was the boy himself._

_The great man that she had told him stories about was actually his father. _

_The boy, who for some reason reminded him of her familiar, stares in wide-eyed awe at the woman upon hearing this. He looks at the sword that marked his father's grave and with the same naive innocence that most children of his age possessed, he declares this vow:_

_"I will become a hero like my father."_

_And so, on the first night of summoning her familiar, she dreamed of a boy and a woman as they stood atop a hill of swords._

_If only she knew that it would not be the last time that she would dream of the boy._

* * *

**Hey guys, wazzup! First off, thank you for all the feedback that you gave me. I was pretty blown away by the response that the fic has garnered. I guess I should've expected that since HoS and Fate itself has quite the following. I feel a bit pressured though since I don't want to mess up and disappoint (and now I know how LeChoke feels). To be honest, I don't really think that I'm that good of a writer (because if I was then I'd probably do this for a living instead of doing graveyard shifts during weekdays) so I hope that you guys temper your expectations. If you think you can do better though or think that a different direction would've been better, then by all means I encourage that you write your own fic and I'm not saying that to be sarcastic or a snob, trust me. One of the great things about HoS was that it inspired an array of incredible one-shots and other multi-chapter fics like Unfamiliar, Double-Zero, the Black Knight, etc. to be written. So if this fic actually ends up somehow giving some of you guys an idea or a muse to work with and write your own fanfic then I feel that even if i end up never finishing this thing it still would've served its purpose (not to mention I'd have even more fanfics to read which is always nice). Also a few thing that I want to address right now.**

**(1) Having read your reviews, I do agree with you guys that having Kiritsugu be able to do tracing was down right weird. But in my defense, I did say that this thing was supposed to have been a one-shot. So I never thought that I'd ever have to actually go in detail on how the fu(k he is able to do tracing. But thanks to some of you guys who were kind enough to give me some ideas through reviews and PM's (shout out to blakraven66 and Windrave) I think I have somewhat of an idea on how Kiritsugu's abilities will work. I'm not 100 percent okay with it yet so I'll be revealing the info bit by bit, just in case I could modify it to something better and/or someone suggest an even better way to go with it without having to change too much. As for the whole UBW argument, I fully agree with you guys that it is something that is Shirou's and rightfully belongs to him. I'll end it at that for now.**

**(2) As for the guy who PM'd me if I had an ending in mind. Don't worry my Laker brother. I do have one ;)**

**(3) For the guys who said that I should've just gone with Kiri being able to do ZnT verse magic since it would've served him equally as good as tracing. Well, I see where you guys are coming from, but to be honest i am a bit biased towards nasuverse type magic (which I fear might unconsciously show in later chapters). Not to say that ZnT magic or mages suck because that's not true at all (e.g. karin). but it's really just a matter of preference.**

**(4) Hopefully, I was able to capture the characters of all the ZnT cast and portray them accurately. There are parts of the fic that I'm not fully satisfied with like Kiritsugu's quarrel with Louise, also I'm not sure if the fight scene was good enough but I did do my best. I guess I'll start watching more ZnT and re-read some of the translated novels again to get more of a feel for the characters. Also, as you may have noticed, I've started to connect the weapons with the King of swords legend (e.g. hrunting and Caladbolg.) ****If you think that it's a good idea than by all means give me some of your suggestions to help me out (seriously, i need all the help that I can get.)**

**Well, that's it. If any of you guys know how i could contact Sir blessing, could you give me a PM. I want to at ask permission or at least inform him that I'm basing the other half of my crossover with his fic before continuing any further. RnR guys. And one more thing... GO LAKESHOW! WE PLAYOFFS NOW! LAKERS GONNA LAKE BABY!_  
_**


	3. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

Morning had arrived. Currently, my back was leaning on the wall that was on the opposite side of my Master's bed as my arms were crossed together over my chest. After waking up just a few minutes ago and doing some stretches to rid my body of any lingering stiffness (sleeping in the position that I did last night had not been very comfortable), I had placed myself on this spot and resumed my vigil over my sleeping master. I found it rather amazing that she had slept through that ruckus last night considering that she was a half-elf and that her kind was supposedly very sensitive when it came to noise. Either my master was a very deep sleeper or the events of the previous night had definitely shocked her to the point that she wasn't too excited about waking up. Looking at her as she continued her slumber, I couldn't help but note the rather seductive pose that she had right now. A lesser man would have definitely given into their urge at the sight of such a bountiful feast in front of them. I had a feeling that at least half of my job as a servant in the foreseeable future would involve trying to protect her from the advances of unscrupulous males. It was only now that I somewhat understood why Saito and this world's Duchess was so worried about her. Servant or not, I was still a man and leaving their friend who was unconscious with a stranger would definitely not sit well initially with them.

I let out a rather deep sigh as I remembered those two.

"Oi, kid? You look like you have something on your mind." A disembodied voice echoes from the sword that was propped up by my side as its quillon starts to move on its own.

"It's nothing, Uncle. I just remembered what kind of weird mess we've gotten ourselves into." I reply back. Frankly speaking, just the mere thought of how outlandish this whole situation that I'm in right now was giving me a very big headache.

Yesterday, I had found out that I was in the past of some alternate world. And not only did I end up making a contract with someone who turned out to be the younger alternate world version of the fairy of Westwood whom I had been searching for, but I also met a younger alternate world version of the Duchess herself. And although seeing a younger version of the Duchess throwing a tantrum was enjoyable to watch, it did little to alleviate the stress that I was feeling right now. For one thing, the thought of me being transported to another dimension had never even crossed my mind when I had decided to answer the call of my master. At worst, I had expected that I'd be somewhere at the far side of the continent and that I'd have to hitchhike a ride to Albion to get back to where I was. Unfortunately, I very much doubt that there are carriages that do cross dimension travel so I'm stuck here for the mean time until I can find a way to go back to my own world.

There were also some things that I couldn't help but at least be curious about, such as how different this world may be compared to mine. It was then that the image of the Chevalier that I had met last night surfaced again in my mind.

Saito Hiraga. He had introduced himself to me as the servant of this world's Duchess. The runes on his left hand seem to confirm this as well. So if that was the case, then what could've happened to my father? Could it be that this world's version of my father had already died and that the Duchess had simply summoned a new familiar by her side? Or maybe my father may not have been summoned here in the first place..?

No, it couldn't be.

The Duchess once said to me that she had summoned my father no less than five times. She even said that there was probably no other person besides him that could be as compatible with her as a servant. Alternate reality or not, I'm sure that it is the same here. But still, I had to make sure. I decided to make it a point to find out more about this world, not just because it would help me better prepare myself in the task of protecting my master but also since it would satisfy my curiosity as well.

"…"

I notice the figure of my Master start to stir and in response I straighten my pose. I glance at the sword propped up to my side. "Uncle Derf, I think you should stay quiet and lay low for the time being. Bombarding her with too many surprises might give her unnecessary stress."

"Heh. Your call, kid."

As she gives out a slight yawn, her eyes squinting as she stretches her arms, I ready myself to greet her.

"Good morning, Master." I say with a calm smile on my face.

I had hoped that this more ambient greeting would somewhat ease the tension between the two of us that had been created by last night's events. Unfortunately, it seemed that I was too optimistic since the moment that she had gathered herself and recognized who I was she immediately scurries to the top of her bed, her hand quickly reaching for her covers as she brings it all the way up to her face, hiding behind it like a shield. Her body was shaking and I could even see her ears quivering as fast as the wings of a hummingbird. My head drops a bit as I sighed again. I've been sighing quite a lot since I got here, but considering my situation, what normal person wouldn't? This partnership has definitely gotten off to a bad start.

"I do hope that you were able to get some adequate rest." I continue, trying to make some small talk with her and calm her nerves. However, I was failing quite miserably since the best response that I could get out of her was a shaky nod. "If I may re-introduce myself properly this time," I slowly kneel before her just as I did last night, my stance poised like a proud knight before his monarch, with the only difference being my facial expression which was softer now compared to the more serious one that I had when we first met. "My name is Kiritsugu Emiya. I am the one that you had summoned from last night. For the sake of formality I ask of you again; are you my master?"

"…I-I guess so." she replies, her voice still a bit shaky but nonetheless it seemed that she was starting to get a hold of herself.

"Well then, I shall take that as a yes. I also would like to apologize for any distress that I may have caused you last night."

"I-It's okay… but," she eyes me carefully. "A-Are you… are you really my familiar?" my master asks; her voice calmer compared to earlier.

"The appropriate term is actually _servant_." I make sure to correct her. Now that I was a servant, I found it a bit annoying to be referred to as a familiar since that was a word used to describe summoned animals, and for all intents and purposes I was most definitely not a dog or a cat. "And yes I am your servant, master."

"Servant?"

"Unlike a summoned animal which is generally called a familiar, a summoned human is referred to as a Servant. It denotes both the rarity of the feat of summoning a fellow human and the status of the summoner as a bearer of the void such as you, Master." I answer.

"I didn't know that. Louise or Saito never told me anything about servants."

I hid my displeasure upon hearing this. If my father had been summoned to this world then the servant system should at least be on its way to being known here. So unless the Duchess of this reality had completely disregarded it altogether, it was looking more and more like my father had never arrived here in the first place.

"Very few know of it so it isn't very surprising. But do not worry; I will be more than happy to answer any questions that you have regarding this matter to the best of my abilities."

I see my master slowly inching herself closer to the foot of the bed as she starts to relax despite of my presence. "So if you're a servant, then does that also make Saito one too?"

"That seems to be the case. Based on the position of his runes it seems that he had been summoned under the class of Gandalfr."

"Class?"

"The servants of the void are divided into four classes," I answered as I recalled the lessons that the Duchess had taught me regarding this matter. "The left hand of God, Gandalfr, which gives complete mastery of every type of weapon to those under its class. The right hand of God, Windalfr; a class that grants the ability to communicate and control animals. And the mind of God, Myozuntnirn, which gives all those who fall under its class the power to use any magical artifact in existence. I do not know much about the fourth servant of the void which is unfortunate since," I lift my shirt (causing my master to blush a bit) so that I could show her the runes that were etched on my chest. "I seem to have been summoned under it."

The fourth servant of the void was one of the remaining mysteries of the once lost fifth element. The Duchess had once told me that there was a chance that each of the four Brimiric Kingdoms had a fixed servant for their void user. If that theory proved to be correct than the Gandalfr would always be summoned by a Tristanian void mage, Windalfr a Romalian, and Myozuntnirn a Galian. This then would leave Albion with the fourth servant. But, unfortunately, very little is actually known of the mysterious fourth class of void servants since the void user of Albion, the Fairy of Westwood, had never summoned a servant to her side.

"As of the moment, I do not know what abilities my class is able to grant me," I inform her of our predicament as I straighten my black shirt. "But do not worry Master since I will be sure to investigate and find as much information as I can so that we may be able to use it to our advantage in the future battles ahead."

As long as I can find out what exact abilities my class grants me then, assuming that no one knew of those abilities, I can definitely use this to my advantage since I would have information that no one else did. As one of the commanding officers of the Undine Knights, Sir Reynald, always told me: 'Information can be as damaging to your opponent as any sword or spell, sometimes even more so.'

"So you're Mr. Kiritsugu, is that right?" she looks at me as the tension in her body starts to fade. It seems that she was beginning to get more comfortable around me.

I nod. "Please, there's no need for honorifics. You may refer to me simply as servant or Kiritsugu if you would like."

"Could you tell me more about yourself then, Kiritsugu? Like where you came from and things like that."

I quickly became silent after hearing this question as my mind starts to calculate how to best answer her.

The bond between servant and master is a bond that relies heavily on trust. If a master were to find out that a servant were hiding something than I'm sure that it would only damage that bond. But then again, my situation wasn't exactly normal. As crazy as it sounds, if I had simply been summoned to some different dimension that had absolutely no connection to my world, it would have been infinitely easier to answer with that. But, in my case, not only have I been transported to an alternate reality that seemed to mirror my home world, I was also somewhat of a time traveler considering that most of the events that happened back in my world had yet to happen here. Seriously, whoever that old fart Zelretch is, I'll be sure to kick him in the crotch for this (Not that I'd recognize him if we ever met, but still).

"I originally came from Tristain so I am Tristanian by nationality." I replied, trying to tread carefully through this subject. "I am a water mage as well though I have yet to pass dot level so my main skill has always been my swordsmanship."

"So you're a mage then." she smiled. "I guess that's why you know so much, but a water mage... I would have thought that your element was earth since last night with the swords you..." I could see her visibly shudder as she recalled the events that happened prior to her losing consciousness.

"An educated guess, Master." I praised her for her perceptiveness while also trying to get her thoughts away from the events of last night. "But that doesn't take into account the fact that I also know a different form of magecraft that is completely unlike the one practiced here in Halkeginia."

Thinking that since the introductions were done and it was probably time to fill her in on what exactly I could do, I slowly stood up and began to tell her about the brand of magic that had been taught to me by the Duchess.

"I specialize in two forms of magecrafts." My index finger ticks up as I describe one of my abilities. "The first is reinforcement; it's a form of magecraft that enhances the purpose of existence of its target. In combat I usually apply it to my body so that I can jump higher, increase my raw strength, widen the range of my senses, and keeping myself alive by making my body and the clothes that I'm wearing more durable."

"I see. So that's how you were able to do all of those things yesterday."

I nod again. "Unlike elemental spells, it's not very flashy but what it lacks in style it make up for in versatility." I then hold out my right hand as if readying it to grip something from out of thin air. "And as for the second type of magecraft that I can do..."

Trace on.

An amused smirk crosses my lips as I see my master's eyes widen, her lips letting out an audible 'eep' after witnessing a large scimitar three feet in length appearing in my grasp from out of nowhere.

"This type of magecraft is called tracing. It's a more advance form of projection which enables me to recreate objects together with certain important aspects such as their history, experience and other things that make them what they are. I use this skill mainly to recreate weapons, specifically swords."

"Umm... Projec-tion... Tray-sing." she tries to pronounce the strange words that I had just mentioned. "I-I don't think I understand. I'm just a student right now so I still don't know much."

Another sigh escapes me again as I try my best to stop my other hand from rubbing my forehead and easing the creeping migraine that was starting to invade it. It looks like I'm going to have my work cut out for me.

"I-I'm sorry for being such a bother, Kiritsugu." she stutters teary eyed due to her inability to comprehend what I was explaining to her. I couldn't help but smile at this since my master just looked so much like a child apologizing for having done something wrong. Inwardly, I chided myself for making her feel bad and also expecting too much from her knowing what the situation was.

"There's no need to apologize, Master. Like I said earlier, both reinforcement and tracing are magecrafts that are not familiar to most of the magus of the continent. I doubt that even an experienced mage would be able to grasp the full concept so easily, much less perform it." I assure her as I allowed the traced sword in my hand to fade. "The main point that you just have to know is that, taking certain things into consideration, I can trace a maximum of nine swords per day. That number can also lessen further due to other factors. So please keep that in mind before engaging in battles in the future, Master."

"Battles..."

"Those who bear the power of the void and become aware of it are destined to a life filled with swords and battles." I tell her, repeating a line that the Duchess had once told me. "We servants are mere tools to help our masters achieve their goal... whether that goal be for good or ill, however, has nothing to do with us and so we merely carry them out."

"Please don't say something like that!" she practically shouted at me. "I don't think that you're just a tool. And besides, I... I would never... I would never tell you to do something that would hurt others."

Inwardly, I was very happy to hear this. The last line that I had told her was actually a lie. If she had been someone with less than noble motivations, I would not have spared a second thought about ending our contract and simply killing her on the spot. But since my master seemed as innocent as she looked, I could safely put those thoughts aside for now.

"I'm very happy to hear that Master since it would've stained my honor if you had ordered me to do something that would put the lives of many at risk. Truly, I'm very fortunate to have been summoned by such a kind-hearted person like you." I smiled at her as I said this and in response her cheeks turn a bright red as she looks away from me. It looks as if my master was rather weak when it came to compliments. "So, from this day forth, I vow to be your sword. My blades shall be yours just as your fate shall be mine. I shall follow your words as if they were the words of God himself. By your orders I shall fight... and at your command I shall die. This I swear to you, my Master."

She nods in agreement as we finally complete our contract. But even so, I couldn't help but notice the rather sad expression that had clouded her face. It seemed that something about what I said had upset her. But I decided to not pursue the matter. This partnership had just begun after all so it would be best to take things as they come.

-(Scene Break)-

Calm down. Calm down. Calm down.

I repeated those two words incessantly in my head, my fist clenched so tightly that it was starting to hurt.

Right now, I and my master were at the throne room of the Great Pentagon Cathedral of Aquileia. We were surrounded by a number of people whose stares were glued at me but I paid them no mind since my attention was currently concentrated on the two men that were at the opposite end of the room. The one who was seated at the throne garbed in dark-purple priest robes and wearing a high cylindrical hat that marked him as the current Pope - the highest authority within the church of Brimir, was looking at me with a calm smile plastered on his face. The man was handsome without a doubt, possessing gentle gray eyes, a sculpturesque nose, and hair like golden threads that greatly resembled my master's. Even if one were to search through all the kingdoms in Halkeginia, it would be difficult to find a person as handsome as him. But instead of inspiring awe within me, his figure only made me want to bathe his holy robes with his own blood. The feeling wasn't just exclusively for him though since I felt the same way towards the other man standing at his right side. He too had blonde hair, although they were a shade paler compared to the person seating on the throne, and he was clad in white garments usually worn only by a select number of priest. But the one thing that caught my attention about him was the differing shades of each of his eyes. His left eye was a bluish color while the other was a pale red. 'Moon eyes' - eyes that mirrored the twin moons. In the provinces, where superstitions are quite rampant, it is believed that such a person is evil and was despised by everyone.

I stared at both of them as I tried my best to keep the stoic expression on my face. I didn't need to know their names since I had heard enough stories to know exactly who they are.

'This is bad', I inwardly comment to myself as I found it harder and harder to keep my composure. In the end, although I knew that it would come off as a bit rude, I decided to let my gaze wander to avoid eye contact with the two of them

Glancing around at the other people that were present, I notice both Saito and the younger version of the Duchess at my left side. I also noted another figure together with them, a blonde haired boy wearing a frilly white shirt and holding a red rose in his hand. I smirked a bit; somehow I knew that this person was in fact this world's version of one of my mentor's, Captain Guiche de Gramont. And if i was correct then the freckle-faced girl standing beside him who was sporting blonde curly hair was probably Auntie Monmon. I wasn't a hundred percent sure though since from what I've heard, the Captain was supposed to have been quite the playboy in his youth so she could have just been one of his passing flings. I continue to glance around, trying to see if I could spot more familiar faces. Standing behind the person who I assumed was Captain Guiche were three other males that bore a great resemblance to the Vice- captains of the Undine Knights; Sir Reynald, Sir Gimli, and Sir Malicorne. I turn to my left and notice a small blue haired girl wearing glasses and holding a crooked staff that was as long as she was tall. She looked exceptionally young but her weary eyes seem to suggest that she was actually much older. I had a pretty good idea of who she was although the fact that she greatly resembled her sister had always troubled me even before. Further ahead was another female figure. She too had blonde hair. And as she stood there with a composed stance befitting that of a master swordswoman, she looked at me sternly with her green orbs. I guess I should've expected nothing less from the Captain of the Musketeer corps, although I did wonder whether this world's version of my Auntie Agnes was just as generous with her wine.

And even further ahead was the figure of yet another woman.

As my eyes took in her features, I practically had to force myself to continue walking and not to just stop and gawk as I came to realize just who exactly I was looking at right now.

Hair color that hovered between brunette and black and was best described as purple.

A gentle face whose beauty served to cover the stern-yet-fair attitude by which she governed her kingdom.

And sapphire blue eyes, a hereditary trademark among the Tristanian royal family, which resembled daggers staring at me as if assessing and putting together assumptions of just how this newly arrived piece may affect the ongoing political game.

There was no doubt in my mind. The person before me was definitely this world's version of my mother, Henrietta de Tristain.

As I passed her by, our eyes met. From the way that she was looking at me, I couldn't help but ask myself if she had started to notice some of the physical traits that I possessed which greatly resembled hers. Though I was told that I had gotten my reddish hair, tall and lean frame, and certain facial features from my father; my sapphire blue eyes and other details of my looks were something that was exclusively passed on to me by my mother. After a while, I myself couldn't resist anymore as I briefly flash her a sincere smile - one that I reserved only for the closest of friends and family. If there was one person in the entire world whom I could never look at while masking my face with a cold facade, it was my mother. Honestly, I've already lost count of how many times the Duchess had teased me about being such a mother's boy. And even though technically she wasn't really my mother, the fact that the two of them looked exactly alike made me extend that same courtesy to her. I quickly note the abject confusion that appears on her face upon seeing that gesture. But just as I had expected, she quickly recovers her composure and returns my gesture in kind with a smile of her own.

"Kiritsugu?" I hear my master softly call out. She must've caught that brief exchange between me and the queen.

"It's nothing, Master." I assure her. "I was merely being polite to her Highness."

As we finally reached the front of the throne, both my master and I slowly kneel before the man seated on it.

"Miss Westwood," he starts to address my master. "I am glad to see that you have finally summoned your very own famili-"

"Servant." I quickly cut through his speech as I corrected him without a second thought, my voice carrying a hint of irritation in it. There was an audible gasp that circulated around the room. I guess I should've expected that reaction.

Though small in size and territory, Romalia is unanimously recognized as the most influential nation in the entire continent. It is the center of the Brimiric faith of Halkeginia. Led by the current Pope who is also considered as the ruler of the nation, Romalia plays up the religious aspect of its power which enables the church to overrule the will of other countries. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the Pope had more power than all the rulers of the other nations put together. After all, what makes up a country is not its monarchy but its people. And since the majority of the nobility and common folk were devoted believers of the Church, a King or Queen who were to rebel against the church would be considered as unfit to rule and would most likely be ousted from their throne by means of a rebellion. In fact, the only reason why my mother remained in power was due to her inherent popularity with the younger generation of nobles and ordinary citizens. Not to mention the great respect and reverence that they gave my father and the Duchess.

And for an unknown person like me to put that all aside and have the audacity to speak to the Pope in such a disrespectful tone; it was probably quite the shock to them.

"Servant is a title used to address a summoned human. I would greatly appreciate it if you were to refer to me as such from now on, your 'Holiness'." I explained as whispers of 'rude commoner' and 'disrespectful' filled the room. I could even hear the faint sound of teeth grinding together which I suspected was coming from the younger Duchess.

Everyone abruptly goes silent, however, as the Pope holds out his hand to quell the unrest.

"...I see. I apologize for the mistake then." He stands from his seat and slowly approaches the kneeling figure of both me and my master. "I am Vittorio Serevare St. Aegis, the 32nd Pope of Romalia. I am pleased to meet you. May I know your name, servant of Miss Westwood?"

"My name is Kiritsugu Emiya. It is an honor to meet you, your Holiness." I answered as I lowered my head and focused my sight on the marble floor. I wanted to avoid direct eye contact with him lest he see the anger in my gaze. Though I somewhat already knew who he was, the fact that he had confirmed it himself erased all doubt in my mind and had reawakened the blood-lust that the image of my mother had calmed down. In front of me now stood the person who was among those responsible for my father's death. It would be so easy to trace a sword now and kill this bastard right where he stood, but I had to fight that urge and allow my logic to take over.

"Sir Emiya, would you mind showing me your runes?" the Pope requested. In response I slowly stood up and lifted the front of the black sleeveless shirt that I had on to reveal the runes etched on my chest. "As I thought. You truly are the Heart of God, Liveslatille."

"Liveslatille?" my master queries. I too was curious since it was the first time that I have heard of the title.

"Liveslatille is the fourth and most important familiar, or as Sir Emiya refers to it, servant of the founder. The Heart of God is like a gospel to us." he answered.

"Your Holiness, if i may ask? Do you know anything about the abilities granted to me by my class?" I questioned him further. For the briefest of seconds, though I had no idea why, I felt him hesitate to answer me.

"…Forgive me but I unfortunately do not know much about the powers of Liveslatille. The holy text calls it a vessel of magic, but aside from that not much detail is given of what it can actually do."

"Is that so?" Well, I guess the fact that this person was unaware of the actual abilities of my class could only be a good thing.

"But now is not the time to worry about such trivial matters." he glances at everyone, his lips curving into a smile as he begins to address everyone in the room. "Today is a day of celebration. For the first time in 6000 years, since the founder walked this very same earth, the servants of the void are now once again all present." He looks over to where the young Duchess and Saito stood. "Louise Francoise de La Blanc de Valliere and her Gandalfr: Saito Chevalier de Hiraga," He then reverts his gaze back to me and my master. "Tiffania Westwood and Liveslatille: Kiritsugu Emiya," He gives the person standing by his side a brief glance. "Myself, Vittorio Serevare St. Aegis and the Windalfr: Julio Chesaré. And of course, the King of Galia, Joseph Gaul and Myozuntnirn: Sheffield."

My eyes slightly widen upon hearing the last two names. So it seems that the incompetent King of Galia, Joseph and his servant Sheffield were still alive in this world.

The Pope begins to speak directly to us again as he extends his hand to my master. "Miss Westwood and Sir Emiya, it is of the utmost importance that the Bearers of the power of the Void and their Servants work together so that we may save Halkeginia and its people. There is no other way but for all of us to join forces to achieve this goal. Miss Westwood, will you help me and Miss Valliere in our mission?"

"O-Of course. I would be more than happy to h-"

"But what of the King Galia and his servant?" I interrupt once again which rouses another wave of whispering around the room. "Doesn't the fact that the two of them are not present here mean that they have no willingness to cooperate with us? From what I've heard, King Joseph is a rather difficult fellow to get along with."

The pope turns his attention towards me. "Yes, that is true. But I believe that with all three of us and our servants united, we will be able to persuade him to join our cause."

"And if he were to refuse?"

"That is not an option that we can accept. If we were to fail, then I fear that Halkeginia will be thrown into a crisis never before witnessed. Only the unity of the four bearers can avert that disaster."

I stared at him intensely. His view was way too optimistic; I just couldn't bring myself to believe that this person was that naive. Something was definitely wrong here.

"Sir Emiya, your master has already agreed to help us. What say you then? Will you help us save all the people of Halkeginia?"

I wanted to retort back, to tell him that he had no right to claim that he could save everyone. I wanted to tell him how the Pope of my world would betray that promise as he tried rally the nations of Halkeginia, sacrificing the lives of many soldiers so that he could reclaim the Holy Land from the elves. How he instigated a coup d' etat in the Kingdom of Galia which resulted in a civil war and caused the death of thousands. How he spread discord through the continent as he manipulated the nations of Galia, Romalia, and Germania to wage war against Tristain just so that he could overthrow my mother and kill both my father and the excommunicated Duchess who had turned her back on the faith.

But, I held my tongue. Though they bore the same name and the same likeness, he was not the long dead Pope of my world. I was in an alternate reality after all, so there was a chance that this pope was different. No matter how much I wanted to, I couldn't blame him for something that he technically hadn't even done yet. So even though my very soul was screaming at me to kill this person and prevent any chance of those things from happening, I decided to give him a chance. I could only hope that I wasn't making a mistake by doing so.

"I shall follow my Master's orders. If she tells me to support you in achieving your goals, then I shall do so. But I wish to make something clear..." I look at the Pope coldly so that he would understand my stance regarding this particular matter. "Do not misunderstand. I will follow my master's orders and _only_ her orders. If she ever decides to follow a differing path from his Holiness then I will follow her."

"I understand. Truly, Miss Westwood has found herself quite the loyal servant." he commends me, though in all honesty I found no need for it.

"Well, it seems that we'll be working with each other from now on." the man that stood beside the Pope, Julio Chesare, approaches me as he extends his hand, the pompous smile on his face practically beaming with amusement. "I'll be sure to keep an eye on you."

"Likewise." I reply back as I grip his hand. Grinning back, I begin to tighten my grip on him. As he tries to draw his hand back, I grip it even tighter causing the annoying smile on his face to start to fade. "I'll _definitely_ be sure to keep an eye on you as well."

As I finally let go of his hand, he quickly retracts it back as he starts rubbing it to ease the pain that had been caused by my reinforced grip. I knew that it was childish to have acted like that, but I just couldn't help myself.

"You've got quite the strong grip there." he compliments me as the smirk on his face returns. "I look forward to knowing you a bit better, Sir Emiya."

"The feeling is mutual, Sir Chesare. I can assure you of that."

-(Scene Break)-

In one of the many open courtyards of the Cathedral, the sound of the steel in my hand as it cuts through the early afternoon air echoes through the surroundings. I swing the silent Uncle Derf left and then, visualizing an opponent creeping behind me, I turn and vertically cut though my imaginary foe with the blade in my hand. I caressed the runes etched on my open chest (I had abandoned my black shirt since the oppressive heat of the sun was doing me no favors today and was making me sweat buckets), I was still getting no response from it. I start doing a couple of practice thrust with my sword, initially applying a bit of reinforcement in my sword arm and then doing it without the reinforcement. There was still no response. I had hoped that my class would grant me some sort of boost in my physical abilities since it would make everything so much easier but, unfortunately, that seems to not be the case. I guess my bias towards the Gandalfr class was showing since my father had been summoned under it. I look back at my master who was comfortably seated on one of the chairs that the serving staff had been kind enough to provide us with. They had also supplied us with a table although I didn't really see the need for it since we had no snacks or tea with us. Unlike me, she was spared from the sun's rays since the place where she is seated was shaded by the many leafy branches of a rather big tree. That was a good thing since her alabaster-like white skin just seemed so fragile that even a minutes worth of exposure to this level of heat would most likely cause her to get sunburn (I was probably exaggerating, but as they say it's better to be safe than sorry).

She waves at me from her chair and I reply with a smile as I walk towards her, deciding that now was a good time to get some rest.

"So, how was it?" she asks.

"No good." I answered as I took a seat at the opposite side of the table. "I guess I was being way too optimistic when I hoped that my class would at least boost my physical attributes. It's probably better if I just go by the clue that the pope left us, about how Liveslatille is supposed to be some kind of 'vessel of magic'."

"But what does that even mean though?"

"It could be something connected to elemental magecraft, although if that is the case then that could be bad for us."

"Why exactly would that be a bad thing?" she queries further as she hands me a small towel to wipe the sweat off my body.

"Thank you, Master." I expressed my gratitude first before explaining further. "As I told you this morning, I am but a mere dot mage and the main focus of my abilities have always been my swordsmanship and the two unique types of magecraft that I practice. Right now, I'm thinking that the main skill that my class gives me has something to do with magical ability. I have a couple of theories already in mind and depending on which ones are actually correct then we may end up finding ourselves at either an advantage or a disadvantage."

My master nods as I continue.

"My theory is that it has something to do with the storage of magical capacity or willpower. It could be that my class is like a willpower reserve that a void mage uses to amplify and/or replenish her magical strength. But if that's the case then this raises a couple of questions." I wipe the bits of sweat off my bare chest before hanging the now wet towel over my shoulder as I continue. "The first would be if I can use this stored power to fuel my own magecraft. And even if that's the case then we also need to know whether this can be applied to my reinforcement and tracing, or if it is exclusive to elemental spells. If it's the former than that's great for us since that means that I can increase the number of swords that I can trace, but if it's the latter than we're going to be at a disadvantage."

"Disadvantage? Why is that?" she says in deep thought as she places her finger under her chin. I could almost visualize a number of question marks floating around her head.

"Remember that I'm just a dot mage, Master." I reminded her again. I actually found it to be a bit depressing since as a royal I should've had the ability to perform more complex spells, even being capable of hexagonal magic. My ancestors were probably rolling in their grave knowing that one of their descendants was stuck at dot level. "This means that I'm not able to combine two different elements or stack one onto itself. Even if I have a large amount of willpower to fuel my elemental spells, that still doesn't change the fact that I can only use dot level spells to begin with. In other words, it doesn't matter if you have an unlimited number of stones to throw if the person on the opposite side can just fire a cannon ball at you."

"I guess you have a point there." she answers a small sweat drop appearing on her head as she takes in what I had just told her.

"And even if I'm correct then it raises some other questions, such as where the supply actually comes from. Is it simply using the od of the servant? Or does it collect the free floating mana in the environment?"

"Umm... Od? Mana?"

I sighed. I had forgotten that I was 'technically' in the past which meant that the magical theory of this world was most likely a bit behind compared to mine.

Regaining my composure, I assumed the Louise Valliere lecture position number three. It involved leaning back on your chair whilst crossing your legs, your left hand lowered and cradling the elbow of the opposite hand as you used the fingers of your right hand to gesticulate and enumerate certain points that you want to emphasize. This position was also a comfortable way to do wand-less casting of the explosion spell just in case your student was proving to be a bit difficult.

"Prana, or in other words 'Magic', is divided into two types." I lifted one of my fingers as I started to educate my master on what I knew about this subject. "The first is Mana which is the free floating prana that exists in the atmosphere. This is the one that is commonly used by the mages of this continent. You use your wand to gather together the natural free floating prana of the world and then shape it using your will. That's why the Halkeginia magic system is focused on elemental magecrafts." I lifted a second finger up as I continued further. "The second type is called Od and is the energy found in all living organisms. It's the type that I use when performing reinforcement and tracing."

She nods as she allows my explanation to sink in.

"Now, as I was saying earlier, if it's mana that is used to fill up the supply then we won't have to worry about a thing. But if it's od then my class is pretty much useless since I already know how to use my od anyway."

"I see."

"I'll start testing out my theory later. But for the meantime, would you like me to help out with moving your things to the guest house." I ask. It seems that tomorrow was actually the third anniversary of the Pope's ascension and both the younger version of the Duchess and my master had been asked to serve as priestesses during the celebratory mass. In preparation, the church had reserved a hotel where my master and the others with her would be staying during their time here in Romalia. I actually found this arrangement more preferable since staying in this cathedral littered with priest and guards' serving under the Pope was uncomfortable for me.

"You don't have to do that, Kiritsugu." my master tells me as a calm smile appears on her face. "I think that you've been working yourself too hard since the meeting with the Pope. Please just rest for a while, okay."

"As you wish, Master."

As my body begins to relax, my master suddenly asks something that immediately causes me to tense up.

"Kiritsugu, do you by any chance dislike his Holiness?"

I was silent, my eyes blankly staring at nothing. It seemed that my master was more perceptive than I had initially thought.

"...I don't dislike him at all." I lied to her as I kept the stoic expression on my face. It wasn't as if I could tell her that I absolutely detested the man due to the fact that my world's version of him had caused not only the death of my father but also the loss of many innocent lives. "I just don't trust people so easily."

The last part was most definitely true. Though my existence had been kept a secret from the masses, that still didn't mean that my safety was assured. The one thing that a royal cannot give so easily to anyone is trust. Avoiding a sword coming straight at you from the front was easier than trying to find the poison that had been added to your food or the assassins hiding behind your closet. Ever since I was a child I had been taught to always question the motives of the people interacting with me. I grew up with that level of Paranoia always present at the back of my mind. It wasn't like I didn't understand the reason for it either. After all, not only was I the only heir to the throne of Tristain but I was also the son of the legendary King of Swords. If my father's enemies ever found out that he had sired a son just before he died, they would've never allowed me to live past the age of five.

"Oh, is that you Miss Westwood?" a voice called out to us from somewhere in the courtyard. It sounded very familiar to me for some reason.

"Miss Siesta! It's good to see you." my master greets the owner of the voice.

Upon hearing that name, I quickly turn my head towards our guest with such speed that I thought that my neck would snap. And there slowly approaching us, wearing the same maid uniform that had been the trademark of her image ever since I had known her, was my favored nanny, Mother Siesta. Her short black hair that was considered a rarity in my country swaying with the afternoon breeze, that ever present smile of hers etched on her face.

She looks to where I was seated.

"So you must be Miss Westwood's familiar, am I right?"

"Servant, actually." I corrected her although my voice was devoid of the hint of irritation that it usually had every time I corrected someone in regards to that matter.

She tilts her head upon hearing what I assumed to be a very stranger term to her. "Servant?"

"It's a title given to summoned humans." I explained to her.

"Oh, is that so. Sorry for the mistake then." she apologizes after hearing my explanation.

"No worries." I assured her. "It's a common mistake that a lot of people make, so I know that it can't be helped. By the way, you look a bit tired." Standing from where I sat, I pull one of the vacant chairs out and offer it to her. "Why not have a seat and rest with us for the mean time."

"Why, thank you very much." she replies in gratitude as she takes me up on my offer and claims the once vacant seat for her own. "You're quite the gentleman, aren't you Mr... umm..."

"Kiritsugu. Kiritsugu Emiya." I tell her as I return to my seat. "But you can just call me Kiritsugu if you want."

My master looks at me with puffed cheeks. I guess I should've expected that kind of reaction from her since just a minute ago I had declared to her how I rarely trusted anyone so easily. And now I was talking to this supposed stranger like I had known her all my life, which in a way I kind of did.

There was a reason why I referred to my favored nanny as Mother Siesta. She had always been there with me for as long as I could remember. In fact, chances are she was the one changing my diapers back when I was still a baby. I could honestly say that I considered her as somewhat like a second mother to me. And just as I could not bring myself to treat this world's version of my mother coldly, so too could I not do the same to this version of my Mother Siesta.

"Dear founder, it really is hot today." our guest complains to no one in particular as she starts fanning herself with her hand. "Honestly, its times like this that I wish that my uniform showed a bit more skin."

My master starts to fidget on her seat as she heard this, a faint blush on her cheeks showing. "Uhm... isn't that a bit... inappropriate?".

She mischievously grins at my master upon seeing her reaction. "I was just joking." Yup, this was definitely Mother Siesta. "Anyway, I guess it's a good thing that Miss Valliere beat me at inviting Saito to go see the bazaar. I was planning to tag along with the Undine Knights later to try and find him but with this weather, it's probably best for me to just stay here for a while."

"So Miss Valliere and her Servant are going around the town, is that right?"

She nods as she allows both her hands to cradle her face. "It's just like Miss Valliere to drag Saito all over the place like he was her pet." She sighs as her body slouches a bit further. "Poor Saito. If only his master was a bit gentler with him like I am. Miss Valliere should really try and be more honest with her feelings instead of just randomly whipping him whenever she gets angry."

"She... whips him?" I ask for confirmation.

She nods in response which causes me to feel a bit uneasy. "She even fires spells at him like this, 'Boom'!" her arms spread through the air as if trying to describe a large scale explosion. I visibly flinched at seeing that. I couldn't help but feel a sort of kinship with Saito since I myself had been on the receiving end of a number of the Duchess' explosion spells. "It's a miracle that he's still alive after all of that."

"Well, I'm sure that Miss Valliere had a perfectly justifiable reason for... err... disciplining him."

She shakes her head which prompts my heart to sink. "That is if by justifiable you mean just talking to other girls and having me spoil him a bit."

I started having flashbacks of some of my training sessions with the Duchess._ Very_ horrible, _very_ painful, and _very_ embarrassing flashbacks which I would really prefer not to remember. Like when she cast explosion on me after doing my tracing wrong for the nth time, or that time when she made me do a hundred laps around the Village of Tarbes while doing a handstand as punishment for trying to cheat my physical training by using reinforcement. It seems that the Duchess of my world and this one had a couple of things in common.

"Kiritsugu, are you okay?" my master voices her concern for me. "Your face looks really pale right now."

"I'm fine, Master." I reassure her as I wiped the newly formed sweat off my brow. "I just remembered a scary nightmare that I dreamt about last night." In an effort to change the subject I quickly stood up as I once again put on my black shirt. "How about I get all three of us some tea to fend off the heat?"

The two girls stare at me as if I had completely lost my sanity.

"Tea? In this hot of a weather? Isn't that a bit..."

I smiled at the two of them. "By any chance, has either of you heard of 'Iced Tea'?"

-(Scene Break)-

"Thank you very much for your help." I tell the aged woman in front of me wearing an apron as I reached out to take the bag filled with many small pieces of ice. After over half an hour of searching I was finally able to find the Ice house of this cathedral. There were times when I just wanted to quit and go back but I couldn't bring myself to face my master empty handed so I steeled myself and pressed forward. But seriously, it was at times like this when I really wish that I could've at least been a line mage so I could just materialize ice at will.

"No problem, boy'a! It's pretty hot today so there's really no helping it. Although I am a bit curious," she stares at the tray in my hand containing a tea pot and four elegantly designed cups. "Why tea?"

A knowing grin crosses my lips upon seeing the confused look on this kind help's face. "I just wanted to try something that was taught to me by someone." In all honesty, I found it rather amusing how most of the people in this world regarded something that I considered so mundane like the concept of putting ice in one's tea to be such a baffling thing.

In my world, Iced tea was quite popular with both the nobility and the general populace. It was actually invented within the kitchens of the Tristain Royal Palace. As to how I was aware of this information, the fact that I personally knew the one who came up with the concept and even had a hand in its concoction would explain it. Mother Siesta, along with her rather unhealthy infatuation with dirty novels, had a great obsession with cooking and tea brewing. It was something that they said she had picked up from my father. One very hot day, she told me to accompany her to the kitchen and help her carry a big bag of ice shards. While in the kitchen she revealed to me that she had come up with the idea of serving ice cold tea to counteract the humidity of the day. After hearing this, I thought she had gone insane. But nonetheless, I decided to help her out. Using my ability as a water mage, I hastened the steeping process of the green tea (which would usually take a full day without the help of magic) as she applied ice and other sweeteners to it. It took us the whole afternoon before we could figure out just the right combination but we persevered in the end.

"You okay, boy'a?" the kind helper asks me having probably noticed a change in my facial expression.

"It's nothing. I just felt a bit nostalgic there for a second."

"Is that right? Well, off you go then, boy'a."

"Thanks again." I expressed my gratitude one more time before taking my leave.

As I started to make my way back to the courtyard where my master and our guest were waiting, I suddenly felt an inexplicable chill crawl up my spine. I quickly look back behind me to see if anyone was there but my eyes saw nothing. Continuing on my way, I reinforce my hearing and immediately pick up the faint sound of rustling grass. I glance back one more time but to no avail. I place the bag of ice onto the tray on my left hand as I ready my right to trace a weapon in a moment's notice. I had left Uncle Derf with my master so to an uninformed assailant I would definitely appear to be unarmed. Maintaining my pace as I tried to bait whoever it is that was trailing me, I hear the noise of hurried footprints making a beeline straight at me. Turning to face my attacker, I instantly trace the first blade that came into mind as I prepared a counterattack.

"I have you now, yo - murfphle mhm murphle!" was as far as my speech of triumph could go as I suddenly found my face entrapped in some sort of large, soft, and very nubile flesh. The last thing that I could remember seeing before the thing - whatever it is - was able to completely envelope my field of vision was long strands of blue hair.

-(Scene Break)-

"Isn't this quite the funny sight to see." the amused maid comments as she looks at me with that mischievous grin of hers. My master, on the other hand looked conflicted on how to react to what she was seeing.

I sighed. "Indeed."

"Kyuiii Kyuuu."

I sighed again. "...Truly hilarious."

Right now, I was trapped within the vice-like embrace of the young female hugging me from behind. My head was sandwiched between her two juggling breast that, although not as big as my master's, were pretty root-be-damned big. She was also rubbing her cheeks against my reddish hair, treating it as if it were some kind of soft, high class fur while emitting random 'Kyui' sounds every five seconds. It wasn't like I didn't know who this girl was. The long bluish hair, a childish face contrasting her voluptuous adult body, not to mention the constant 'Kyuing' noises. I guess this world's version of Big sister Irukukuu was just as affectionate as the one in mine.

Now if only I didn't find that affection to be so troublesome.

"It seems that Miss Tabitha's familiar really likes you." my master finally brings herself to comment on my predicament.

"I noticed."

I guess I should've expected this. Aside from certain physical traits and the Unlimited Armory of Weapons that I had inherited from my father, there was one more thing that he had passed on to me which for the most part proved to be more trouble than what it's worth. During his lifetime, my father was said to have had a great affinity with reptiles, most specially dragons. I had heard how he once visited the barracks of the infamous aerial armored brigade 'Luftpanzer Ritter', and after asking to borrow one of their brigade's dragons, which were said to be the most disciplined of its kind, total chaos quickly ensued as every dragon in the Barracks practically fought over the right to escort him. I've definitely had my share of scaly problems since even during my travels; it wasn't surprising for me to wake up only to find snakes coiled around my body or wild salamanders sleeping on my chest. Thinking about it right now I probably had it worse since, instead of the scaly critters wanting me to scratch their eyelids; they were actually the ones who wanted to pet me, basically treating me like some kind of baby dragon. It was one of the few things that I wished I hadn't inherited from my father. Hopefully, this problem wasn't something that was easily passed on since the last thing that I would want was for random reptiles to crawl into my would-be daughter or son's crib.

"Kyuiii. So warm Kyuui!" the girl dragon continued to mumble to herself as she continued rubbing her cheeks against my now disheveled hair. "Hey! Hey! Can you tell me your name?"

"_Kiritsugu_. _Kiritsugu_ Emiya!" I told her, making sure to emphasize my first name. The Big Sister Irukukuu of my world always had a hard time pronouncing it. So, just to make it easier for herself, she decided to completely stop trying and came up with a rather weird nickname for me. Of course, I wasn't overly fond of that name so I'm going to make sure that this world's version of Big Sister Irukukuu got it right!

"Kerry... tugu?"

Oh, merciful root! Not this again!

I quickly glance back at the disguised dragon which wasn't easy since she was still zealously hugging me, but I had to for the sake of my sanity.

"No! It's_ Kiritsugu_! Ki-rit-su-gu!" I stress my name even further, even lacing my voice with a bit of irritation just to spur her to get it right.

"Umm.. Kari, Curry, Keri -"

That's it Big Sister Irukukuu! I know you can do it! Just a bit more and...

"Hmm... It's too hard. I'll just call you Kerry instead!"

Root damn it.

"Sylphid." a soft voice that was barely louder than a whisper calls out from the open courtyard. It was so faint that even I almost missed it. I didn't need to look at the owner of the voice though since I already knew who it was.

"Big Sister Tabitha!" the girl ensnaring my body greets the new arrival as one of her hands finally decide to give me a bit of reprieve as it loosens its hold on me. "Hey! Hey! Look at this person Big Sister! He smells so clean, and nice, and scaly! He's just like a baby dragon!"

Needless to say, I was feeling a bit of warmth around my cheeks as I heard that. I turn to the person who would one day become this world's Queen of Galia and see the emotionless expression on her face. In contrast to Big Sister Irukukuu's childlike, and often times embarrassing behavior, the Queen Charlotte's dignified demeanor offered a quiet sanctuary from all the madness.

"Little Kerry is just toooooo cuuuuteee! Big Sister, can we take him home with us!"

The would-be Queen of Galia looks at me and in response I vehemently shook my head at the blue haired magus, voicelessly expressing my objection to the offer.

She turns her gaze back at the human disguised dragon. "No." she mercifully answers.

"Pweetty please, Big Sister."

She glances back at me again and this time I cross my hands together to form an 'X' which was the universally accepted sign for 'rejection'.

"No." the little mage repeats again.

Upon being denied twice, the dragon begins to shamelessly cry atop my head as her cheek rubbing intensifies by a factor of ten. "Wahh! But Big Sister always had Irukukuu as a little Sister! Irukukuu has never had a little sister or Brother so Irukukuu wants to make Little Kerry her little Brother so that someone can call Irukukuu Big Sister too! Waahh!"

My hand slowly rises as it reaches out to pat the female dragon on her head. "It's okay. If you really want to then I'll be more than happy to call you Big Sister."

"Really?" Her head pops above my field of vision, her eyes a bit teary and her face sad like a girl that had been told that she wouldn't be getting any presents on her birthday.

I nod. Technically speaking, I was actually older than her in this reality so I couldn't really qualify as a little brother. But because it seemed that common sense had taken a rather long vacation since the very moment that I stepped into this world, I might as well make the most out of it. "Of course... Big Sister Irukukuu."

It only took me a tenth of a second to start regretting my decision.

"Kyuui! Yesss!" she shouts in absolute euphoria as she again begins to rub her cheeks against my hair so fast that I was starting to worry if I might end up having friction burns. "Irukukuu is so happy!" her hold on me tightens even more as my facial features are obscured even further by the two bouncing coconuts attached to her chest. "Kyui! Now that Irukukuu is little Kerry's Big Sister, Irukukuu will always be sure to take care of little Kerry! Irukukuu will always make sure to feed little Kerry, and bathe him, and pet him, and dress him up, and brush his Kyui, and Kyui Kyu him, and..."

As Big Sister Irukukuu continues to ramble on non-coherently, I look to where her master stood and with pleading eyes I begged her to save me from this whole mess. After slightly nodding her head, she raises the crooked staff in her hand as if casting an invisible spell.

"And play with him, and kyui cookies with him, and... kyui him..., and... Irukukuu is really sleepy..."

A sleeping spell. huh? Nice.

"Big Sister Irukukuu is going to (yawn) sleep now, Kyui. Good night... Little Kerry..." she mumbles before finally dozing off

-(Scene Break)-

"This is really great." my master commends the tea that I had prepared for her as she, along with the alternate versions of my Mother Siesta and Queen Charlotte, continued to drink their fill of the iced drink. A few feet from where our impromptu tea party was being held, the figure of my Big Sister Irukukuu could be seen lying on the grass as she peacefully slumbered while randomly murmuring 'Kyui' sounds and mumbling 'Little Kerry' from time to time. Uncle Derf, who I had earlier placed on one of the vacant chairs, was now propped up against the trunk of the large tree shading us in order to give way to our newly arrived guest. After all, I'd be hard pressed to explain why I was allowing someone of royal blood to remain standing whilst reserving a seat for an inanimate object. My Uncle didn't take that lying down though since he started emitting coughing sounds for the next few minutes that followed which I tried to pass off as my own. It was pretty embarrassing having to interrupt the three ladies conversation every time my sword would cough from out of the blue. Really, my Uncle could be such a pain in the ass when he wants to be.

"Good." the blue haired mage comments, summarizing her assessment of the brew in one word.

"Yup. This is really good. Were you the one who thought of this, Kiritsugu?" I smiled as I heard the young maid's praise. I also found the irony of what she said to be both funny since, in a way, you could say that it was she who had discovered the brew that she was currently enjoying... and sad because she may never get the chance to meet the person who had inspired her to pursue such culinary creations.

"No, it was a close family friend who came up with the concept although I did help out in making it." I replied though my thoughts continued to dwell on the fact that this version of Mother Siesta may never get to meet my father. "Miss Siesta, if you don't mind, could you tell me more about Saito?"

"Huh? Sure, I guess. But, why exactly are you interested though?" she cocks her head to the side before a leery grin suddenly flashes on her face. The sight of it made me want to reword my question since I knew exactly what would be coming next. "Could it be that you're interested in_ those_ kinds of things, Kiritsugu?" she words her question suggestively.

"Those kind of things?" my master places her index finger under her chin as I envisioned another set of revolving question marks circling her head. I would have preferred it if my master remained ignorant of such matters. But as expected, the maid sitting in the table with us would not allow the chance of tainting an innocent to simply pass her by. She slightly leans over to where my master was as she explained just exactly what she was referring to and immediately the blonde's face glows a bright red.

Among the unlimited collection of dirty novels that my Mother Siesta had hidden, I had found a few books that were cataloged under the initials of 'BL'. During my unlucky foray through her books when I was but an innocent boy, I had curiously wondered what those books were about and against my better judgment had read through some of their passages. Ever since then, I could no longer look at the image of two men embracing after a heated battle in the same chivalrous light as I once did before.

"So... K-Kiritsugu is interested in t-those kinds of things?" she stutters. I, on the other hand, could do nothing but sigh

"It's nothing like that, I can assure you. I'm not into_ those_ kinds of things in the first place." I quickly clarify, just to make sure that no rumors of me being interested in that kind of thing would ever surface from this table. "I'm just honestly curious since, like me, he is a servant too so I want to know as much as I can about my comrade and how capable he is in a fight."

'Curious' was actually an understatement. Earlier in the day, I had asked my master if this world's Duchess had summoned a different Servant prior to Saito. When she had told me that Saito had always been the Gandalfr as far as she knew, I was thoroughly disappointed. After that conversation, my curiosity of Saito had increased exponentially. There had to be something about him. If not magecraft, then maybe he possessed a power that was independent of the abilities given to him by his class. He needed to be special._ I_ wanted him to be special. I guess I just couldn't stomach the thought of my father being replaced by some random guy who could have simply been walking down the street when he was summoned.

Siesta smiles at my eagerness. "Boys will be boys." she tells no one in particular as she shakes her head. "Well, when it comes to fights, Saito is probably no slouch. Although I've only seen him fight and spar a couple of times, I think that he's pretty good. But then again, I'm just a maid so what would I know." she quips.

"Has he ever done anything of note? Maybe fighting in a war or something like that?"

"If we're talking about wars then there is that one time when he stalled an army of seventy thousand in the Hills of Saxe-Gotha."

Immediately, my ears perked up. The battle of the Hills of Saxe-Gotha was said to have been the event that had given birth to the Legend of the King of Swords. For a single man to not only have stalled an entire army but also spread enough chaos and fear within their ranks that it had rooted them at that very spot for a full week was not something that anyone could just do. Could it be that Saito had actually matched that godlike feat?

"From what I heard, Miss Valliere had been ordered to stay behind and stall the enemy so that everyone could escape. But Saito tricked her and faced the army alone. He was able to buy us just enough time to escape." I could see Miss Siesta's face turning more somber as she continued to narrate about what Saito had done during the war. "Except for me, everyone thought that he had died. Even Miss Valliere believed that. She was so distraught that she almost..." she shook her head as if trying to forget a particularly bad memory before smiling back. "But that's all in the past though. Not to mention, Saito is alive so it doesn't really matter."

I became a bit reluctant about asking further after seeing the maid's reaction upon remembering such a memory. But my curiosity overruled my doubt. Picking up my tea, I resumed my questioning again as I took a small sip from my cup. "So I'm assuming that he's a pretty infamous figure to a lot of people, is that right?"

"Well, to an extent, he is. But you know how people are. Even something as unbelievable as stalling an army by yourself becomes old news after a while."

I scrunch my eyebrows together as I heard this. Although what she said is correct, if Saito had come in and done the same thing that my father did in that particular battle, I doubt that something like that would easily be forgotten. Placing my half empty cup on the table, I clasp my hands together, my fingers crossed and my elbows resting on the edge, giving me the look of someone trapped in deep thought as I continued asking even more questions. "So how exactly did Saito stop the army of seventy thousand?" I asked before stating my own conclusions. "I would guess that he probably aimed to kill those at the head of the chain-of-command in order to spread as much confusion and unrest as possible. He may have even resorted to maiming some of the ground troops, things like cutting off their sword arms or decapitating their legs, so he can cause more chaos and bring the army's moral down even further. Not to mention wounding enough soldier's would most definitely slow the army down by more than a day since they'd have to tend to the injured instead of just leaving the dead bodies behind to be buried later."

That was exactly what my father did during the battle in the Hills of Saxe-Gotha.

I look back at Miss Siesta, trying to see what her reaction would be after hearing what I had said. I was actually just looking for a bit of confirmation as I tried to find out how alike the two battles were. Unfortunately, the only thing that met my gaze was three very awkward stares. My master looked like she had just heard a very scary bedtime story, Miss Siesta was looking at me like I was some kind of Psycho-killer on the loose, while the princess of Galia was regarding me with very cold eyes.

"I'm assuming my guess was way off the mark, am I right?" I tried to pass off what I just said as a mere hypothetical.

"Of course!" the maid sounds off at me. "Saito is a very kind-hearted guy, are you really thinking that he could be cold-blooded enough to do something so deranged! I mean what kind of sick person would even think of doing something like that!"

Her words were like a dagger to my heart since I too was guilty of such actions. I guess trying to lead her on was a very bad idea.

"It was just a guess. I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to imply anything at all." I lied as I backpedaled on what I said. "Anyway, aside from that, did he do anything else worth mentioning?" I quickly interject, trying to ease the tension that my earlier statement had caused.

"There was that time when he, Miss Valliere, and a few others rescued Miss Tabitha from being imprisoned in Galia." she mentions offhandedly, still somewhat pouting at my implied slight on the black-haired Chevalier's character. I glance over to where the Galian royal accompanying us sat and quickly notice the faint blush appearing on her cheeks. "From what I heard, they even ended up facing an elf of all things. Thankfully though, they were able to beat it back."

"So they weren't able to kill the elf." my master visibly flinched at my remark, almost dropping her cup as she did.

"Heaven's no!" the maid quickly says after hearing something that she must've thought was utter ludicrous. "What are you talking about Kiritsugu? We're talking about an elf here, remember. The fact that they were able to force an elf to retreat is unbelievable enough. But actually killing one is out of the question. Even a dozen powerful mages wouldn't be able to beat one elf!"

I could only nod my head in agreement. Even in my world, the elves were still considered as formidable adversaries. They were beings that had very long lifespans and were capable of using firstborn magic which enabled them to wield the very power of nature itself. To go up against an elf was tantamount to committing suicide; even entire armies were reluctant to charge ahead if they knew that an elf awaited them on the other side of the battlefield. In the six thousand year history of Halkeginia, from the time that the founder Brimir established the four great kingdoms, only three individuals have possessed the skill and ability to actually beat and even kill an elf in one-on-one combat. My father through the use of three specific Noble Phantasms that had earned him the title of 'Elfbane', the Duchess and her void magic, and myself by using the same three weapons that my father had used to strike fear onto the elven masses.

"I guess expecting him to beat an elf one-on-one was a bit unrealistic." I comment as I lift my cup up to my lips. After taking a small sip from my tea, I finally ask the question that I had been meaning to ask since the start. "Miss Siesta, did Saito ever tell you what his life was like before he became Miss Valliere's Servant?"

"Well, aside from the fact that he originally came from another world, he tells me that he was pretty much your average kind of guy."

"Average, huh?" I whispered the word like a curse.

It wasn't as if I was expecting him to be someone that was comparable to my father, but for me to find out that he had been replaced by someone who might simply be plain _ordinary_... though I knew it wasn't the black-haired chevalier's fault, that fact still made me want to vomit.

"That reminds me, Kiritsugu. Since you're a Servant as well, does that mean you came from another world like Saito?" she asks, shifting the questions on to me now.

"I was originally from Tristain, although I've been traveling around from country to country for the past six months." I reply without actually answering her query. I then immediately shifted the questions back to her again. "So, about Saito. Are you sure that he's just an ordinary person? I mean, for him to have stalled an army is no joke so there must be more to him than meets the eye."

"If you're asking if he has some kind of special powers aside from being the 'Gandalfr' then, as far I know, I don't think he does." my shoulders visibly slumped upon hearing that. "But you're right about one thing. Saito is more than just your average guy. Even though he is a bit perverted, he's also very brave, responsible, and he is someone who would fight for the sake of his friends. You'd be hard pressed to find such wonderful guy anywhere."

"That's right." I hear my master speak, giving her opinion on the Chevalier. "He's a very kindhearted person. I remember how he looked after me when I transferred to the Tristain academy. I might have given him a bit of trouble but he never complained about it at all"

I look to where the Princess of Galia sat and I could see her nod as if agreeing with the description of the other two females seated on the table.

I smiled at seeing their response. I'm not sure whether they had said those things to defend the black-haired chevalier after noticing how unimpressed I was of his achievements. But nonetheless, it did kind of work since I was relieved to know that, though ordinary, Saito was at least a true knight at heart.

"I see, that's good to hear." I suggestively smile at all three of them. "Judging by the way that all of you talk about him, I presume that he's quite popular with the ladies."

"Very." the maid quickly confirms my statement without a moment's hesitation. "It's quite troublesome to be honest, especially since I feel like Saito is rather oblivious in regards to what the people around him feel towards him." she punctuates that statement by eying my blushing master whose cheeks were as bright red as ripe tomatoes.

A mischievous grin creeps its way onto my face.

"Well, if you want Master, I could eliminate the competition for you." I offered nonchalantly as if I was simply asking whether she wanted me to refill her cup.

Of course, the reaction that I got from her was just as I had expected.

"E-E-E-Eli-Eliminate!" she stutters as she immediately stands straight up, her sudden movement knocking her chair down to the ground.

I nod as I carefully sipped my tea, my demeanor calm like I had merely commented on the hot weather instead of offering to bump off her competition. "We could slip a sleeping potion in both Saito and Miss Valliere's drinks. And then afterwards, while both of them are out cold, I can just sneak in and 'take care' of his master."

"W-W-W-What are you..!"

"I can easily make it look like an accident too so you won't have to worry about anyone finding out that it was you who gave me the order."

"B-B-Bu-But I didn't..."

"And then, while Saito is all depressed and mopping, that's when you swoop in and charm him with your..." I spare her ridiculously large chest a brief glance, "...charm him your 'assets'." I finally finished, snapping my fingers as if I had just come up with the most ingenious plan ever. "It's completely fool proof. So what do you think, Master?"

"What! I... But... You can't... I just... Well... N-No! Definitely no! K-K-Kiritsugu h-how c-c-could you say s-something like-..! Wait, why are you and Miss Siesta laughing?" she asks innocently as she looks at the laughing figure of both the maid who had quickly caught on to what I was doing and myself with a confused (and very cute) expression

"Ah!" she claps both her hands, finally putting two and two together, before puffing out her cheeks. "You were teasing me, Kiritsugu? How could you!"

"I'm sorry, Master. But I just couldn't resist!" I blurted out; howling in laughter as I almost spilled the tea in my hand. Though the easily embarrassed half-elf was my master, I wasn't going to let such a little thing stop me from teasing her a bit.

"...Meanie." she whispers with her head to the side.

"But in all honesty, it's quite a well thought out idea." Miss Siesta comments. "If Miss Westwood doesn't want to then maybe I'll take you up on your offer instead."

"Certainly." I acknowledge her statement. "My services don't come cheap though."

"Wait, I thought both of you were just... Are you two really serious..?"

I started laughing again. "Of course not, Master." I assured her, deciding that the poor girl probably had enough already.

"I was slightly serious though..." the maid replies which prompts my eyebrows to twitch. I guess this world's version of the Duchess and Mother Siesta may not be as friendly with each other. "Anyway, as I was saying, Saito's popularity with the girls around him is really troublesome. The competition over him is pretty fierce so even though Miss Valliere is slightly in the lead, she still can't let her guard down since I or some of the other girls can easily overtake her."

"It sounds like a very complicated situation." I comment while taking another sip from my tea.

"You have no idea." the maid nods as she continues to gripe over her love troubles. "I mean even her Majesty, the Queen, fancies him."

I almost spat my tea upon hearing that.

"Kiritsugu, are you okay!" my master worriedly ask as she looks at me while I was in the middle of very bad coughing fit.

"...I-I'm fine." Wiping off the small dribble of tea that had been left on the corner of my lips, I quickly turn to the maid again to make sure that I wasn't simply misunderstanding what she had said. "When you say the 'Queen', you wouldn't happen to be referring to the Queen Henrietta, right?" I nervously asked, praying to God, the root, or who/whatever divine entity was up there in heaven and would take the time to listen to me, that my worries were misplaced and that I was just overthinking everything again.

"Of course I am." she answers, shattering the small sliver of hope that I had in one fell swoop. "She's the only female monarch currently in Halkeginia so who else could I possibly be referring to."

Damn it Root! The Duchess always did warn me about how you enjoy putting people in these kinds of situations. If you're thinking of trying to make me your new plaything, I swear I'm going to spread really bad rumors about you in this world. Don't think that I'm not petty enough to do that!

"Are you sure that you're not just misinterpreting it?" I asked, trying to hide the sense of desperation in my voice as I mentally did all that I could to stop myself from walking out of this table and hunting down the Chevalier playboy with one of my traced swords.

"My woman's intuition is never wrong when it comes to these kinds of things." she proudly declares, oblivious to the slowly growing aura of murderous intent that was surrounding my person. "Not to mention, I've seen them being all lovey-dovey at times."

I'm so going to kill him.

"I've even heard from Miss Valliere that she saw them kissing during the Ball of Sleipnir."

Kill him... _slowly _and _painfully_.

"Well then," placing her now empty teacup down at the table, Miss Siesta slowly stands from her seat as she irons out the creases off her skirt. "I think that I should be going now. After all, it's unbecoming of a maid to just sit around while there are so many things left to be done." She looks at me and smiles. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Kiritsugu. And thank you for the tea as well."

"The pleasure was mine. I hope to see you again sometime soon, Miss Siesta." I reply back, briefly putting aside the unspeakable things that I was planning for my Chevalier prey so that I could properly say goodbye to the maid.

"Leaving." the blue-haired mage quickly follows suit as she too stands up in order to take her leave. "Thank you." she says, probably thanking us for the tea that she had drank, to which I lift my cup towards her in acknowledgement. She turns her gaze to where the human-disguised dragon was sleeping. "Sylphild. Come." she softly calls out. Incredibly, even with such a small voice that I could barely just hear, Big Sister Irukukuu is quickly roused from her sleep as she rises from her grassy bed.

"Big Sister (yawn) ...I'm hungry. I wanna get something to eat." as she stands up to follow her blue-haired master while still trying to rid herself of the leftover drowsiness, the dragon glances back at me and waves her arms high in the air. "Bye bye, Little Kerry! Don't worry, Big Sister Irukukuu will be sure to bring back some snacks for you!"

As I see all three of their figures finally fade to the background, I look back at my master who was sitting at the opposite end of the table. I instantly notice that she was looking at me with a relieved smile on her face.

"You seem happy, Master. Did anything good happen today?" I asked, curious of the reason for her rather happy disposition.

"No, I'm just really glad." she answers. "When we first met yesterday and after the... well... uhm..._ thing_ that happened," she vaguely alludes to my beheading of the earth mage mercenary, still uncomfortable about remembering the said event. "I was pretty scared of you. The way that you fought, the way that you acted afterwards; all of it just made me feel like you were such a cold person. But now, seeing how friendly you are to Miss Siesta and Miss Tabitha, not to mention the fact that Miss Tabitha's familiar likes you so much, I think that I may have misjudged you." My Master bows her head to me. "I apologize for thinking so badly of you, Kiritsugu. I'll be leaving myself under your care from now on, so please look after me."

I simply nodded.

As relieved as I was to know that my master was becoming more and more comfortable with me, I couldn't bring myself to reply to anything that she had said. I couldn't even tell her that the only reason why I acted so friendly towards our three guest was because I had been in good terms with them back in my world. Also, I didn't really see the need for her to apologize to me anyway.

After all, her initial impression of me wasn't that far off from the truth.

-(Scene Break)-

"You want to spar... with me?" the black-haired chevalier asks upon hearing my request, the both of us staring at each other as we stood near the entrance of the hotel where we would be spending the night in. Beside us were our respective masters, confusion etched in their face as they too heard my request.

I nod. "Yes." I reply whilst trying to hide my eagerness to cross blades with him.

I have actually stood near this very spot since early in the afternoon and had spent many hours in mind numbing anticipation as I waited for Saito's arrival. I had told my master that I merely wanted to discuss a few things with the Chevalier and that she didn't have to wait with me here. But she, being the polite person that she is, had opted to stay and wait alongside me. It was already sunset before the two people that we had been waiting for had finally decided to show up.

"I'm fine with a spar if you really want to." the Chevalier answers, granting me my request. "But what exactly brought this up all of a sudden?"

"Nothing really." I shrugged. "It's just that I happened to hear from Miss Siesta how you're a famous war hero who was able to stall an army of seventy-thousand. So I just wanted to test myself against a skilled opponent such as yourself."

What I just said to him was actually true for the most part. I really did want to test myself against a person who possessed the power of the Gandalfr class so that I could gauge just how far my combat ability had progressed. I also wanted to see how I stack up against someone who was considered as a master swordsman in this world.

But just as I aimed to test myself against him, so too did I want to do the same to him. I wanted to judge for myself how Saito's skill compares to my father's fabled abilities based on the stories that I had heard.

Honestly, those were really the only two reasons why I wanted to spar against him. It's not like I wanted to beat him to an inch of his life because of the simple fact that he made a pass at this world's version of my mother. Nope, not at all.

"Saito, what is all this fuss about?" I hear a voice call out to the Chevalier and upon looking ahead I see the image of the young Captain Guiche together with the curly blonde whom I had earlier guessed as the younger version of Auntie Monmon. Not far from them, I could also see the fire mage who had assisted me last night, Mr. Colbert together with a red-haired female that had brownish tan skin and was practically oozing with sex appeal. I had a hunch that the seductive red head was most likely the young Auntie Kirche, or if not then someone who most probably was a member of the Von Zerbst family. Accompanying this main group was a platoon of people that I assumed were members of this world's Undine Knights.

"Oh, so I'm assuming that this is the rude plebeian that you've been ranting about all day. Am I right, Guiche?" the red-head asks, seemingly not turned off by my rumored impoliteness. Actually she looked rather intrigued by it, even sparing me a suggestive wink which made me cringe. I intentionally did not think of how even more awkward this whole situation would be if this woman really did turn out to be Auntie Kirche.

"Yes." the Captain gives me a cold stare before turning to the black-haired Chevalier with a flourish. "Saito, please distance yourself from such uncouth individuals." He expressively waves the flower in his hand dismissively at me while beginning to pose dramatically as if modeling for a painter or a sculptor. Yup, this guy was definitely Captain Guiche. "It would no doubt reflect negatively upon the image of the Undine Knights if its Vice Captain were to be seen associating himself with someone who lacks even the most basic of manners."

It seems that, like the Duchess, Captain Guiche also did not appreciate the rude way that I had constantly interrupted and questioned the pope. I guess I should've expected something like this. I should really try to do a better job of keeping my emotions in check.

"Its fine, Guiche." Saito assures the blonde. "He was just asking me if I wanted to spar with him."

Upon hearing this, a wave of chattering and discussion erupts from the group.

"Hey! Did you hear that? Saito's going to spar with some plebeian." one of them says.

"A duel? I definitely want to see that." another one of them expresses their interest.

"But isn't that bad? To be picking on a commoner, is just unbecoming of a Chevalier."

"He looks more like a mercenary than a commoner though." one of the more intelligent guys of the bunch interjects. "Hey, maybe he's the guy that Miss Tiffania summoned."

"Woah! If that's the case then I definitely need to see this!"

"I bet twenty new gold coins on the Vice Captain."

"Ten for me."

"Make it thirty for me!"

I sighed. It seems that the Undine Knights of this world were a bit more easy-going compared to the one in mine. I really felt sorry for their captain; he must be suffering a real bad migraine right about now-...

"Gentleman, I bet two hundred new gold coins on the Vice Captain." the blonde, whose well-being I was worrying about just now, declares with gusto in his voice. "Saito, make sure that you teach this commoner a lesson in manners!" Immediately after hearing this, my palm mysteriously finds its way in front of my face. Really, I should've expected something like this. I'm definitely going to have a hard time trying to get used to all these people.

"I think that we shouldn't keep our audience waiting any longer." I tell the Chevalier, deciding to put aside the raging ache in my head for the moment.

He looks back at me with a friendly smile. "We can hold the spar at the back. The place isn't that big but it should give us enough open space to work with."

I nod. "Sounds good."

After hearing my answer he takes off the Chevalier cloak that he had been wearing and gives it to his master before glancing back at me again. "Let's go then. Its better if we can finish before night time and it becomes too hard for both of us to see."

"Quite right." I tell him although it wouldn't really have mattered to me even if we had held the spar during the night since I've had plenty of experience fighting in the dark.

"Are the two of you really serious?" the younger version of the Duchess asks the both of us. She didn't sound too keen about the spar that her servant and I had already agreed to. I'm guessing that she must have caught a glimpse of last night's battle.

"Don't worry, Louise. It'll be fine." he pats her shoulder as he tries to quell his master's worries. "It's just a spar anyway. It's not like we're going to actually try and kill each other."

My master quickly gives me a brief glance, the worry in her face definitely noticeable. Having seen first-hand what exactly I was capable of, she was probably worried that I would end up going overboard with the spar. Upon seeing this, I couldn't help but sigh. I raise my hand and do a sweeping motion with it as if to tell her not to worry and that I wouldn't do anything too drastic.

As he led the way to the place where we would be holding our impromptu sparring session, I hear the chorus of chatter not far from us starting up again. Along with both of our masters, the peanut gallery from earlier had also decided to follow us as well, seeing that they had nothing better to do at the moment and it would be somewhat entertaining to watch two people in the midst of combat. I didn't even need to reinforce my ears to hear what they were saying since none of them were even making an effort to lower their voice.

"But seriously, do you think this guy can beat the vice-captain?"

"Well, I guess there's still chance for that to happen since their not actually going to use real swords and from what I know Saito's powers as a familiar only works when his holding one."

"So, what you're saying is that the commoner can still win?"

"If he's any good at all then he has a chance, I guess?"

"Hey, Tiffania. Is your familiar any good?"

I see my master start fidgeting while walking along side me. "Uhm, actually h-he's my servant," I give her a slight nod as thanks for using my correct title.

"Servant?" all of them said in unison, a hint of confusion in their voice probably due to the fact that this was the first time that they had heard of the strange title.

I glance back behind me and explain to them. "Servant is a title given to human familiars."

"I remember you using that title last night. This is the first time that I've heard of that particular title though." The bald headed professor who had tagged along as well (probably to ensure that no one got injured) comments. "Even during my research I didn't encounter it before."

"I'm not surprised." I reply back. "The only reason that I'm even familiar with the term is because of my teacher who taught me most of what I know about magecraft and magical theory. Then again," I gave the young Duchess walking just a few steps behind Saito a long, hard look before sighing once more. "My teacher did have a really bad habit of feeding me false info only to make fun of me later, so she could just have been fooling around with me again. But since it's regarding this particular subject then I really doubt it."

As evil as the Duchess was when it comes to making fools out of other people, she would never willingly joke about things that had anything to do with magic and magecraft. She was as serious and as strict of a teacher that a person could possibly have.

"Aha! So you're a mage then!" the young Duchess, after a delayed reaction to my revelation, points her finger at me like a detective finally catching her culprit. "I knew it! After what happened last night, I knew that you were a noble!"

I inwardly scolded myself for letting my guard down. Although some of the people here that I personally knew were different since I was currently in an alternate world, they still bore such a great resemblance with their alternate world selves that I just couldn't help but be a bit lax around them. That was something that I definitely had to work on.

"A mage, yes. A noble, not quite." I answered.

"What do you mean by that, Kiritsugu?" my master asks, finding the topic of my heritage to be something of interest.

Looking through my options, I debated on how I could best answer that particular question without giving away too much information. It's not like I could just tell them: 'Hey everyone! I'm from another world and I know an alternate version of most of the people here'. I mean, even I had my doubts in regards to the existence of parallel worlds so I'm sure that this people who knew nothing about the five true magics would think that I'm crazy. I also wanted to avoid the certain awkwardness that was bound to happen if any of them were to find out who I actually was in my world.

"It's complicated." was the only thing that I could say. "You can just think of me like one of those disowned nobles that end up living as commoners." Most of the people around me cringed. I guess that couldn't be helped since that was a rather bad analogy. A majority of the disowned nobles that I had referenced usually ended up becoming mercenaries, thieves, or thugs who bully and solicit money from the commoners by abusing their magic so that they could continue to live their lavish lifestyles. Of course, not all of them turn out like that but people do have a tendency of stereotyping people based on the wrongs that some of them do.

"We're here." Saito shouts at everyone as I see the place where we would be holding our spar.

As he had mentioned, it really wasn't that big of a place. I estimated its area to be no more than a hundred square meters so it was just good enough for a one on one battle to be held. There was a couple of lamp post situated at the corners that had already been lit in preparation for the coming evening. The ground was pretty smooth aside from a couple of loose shrubs and some potholes that were probably no more than a foot deep. The center was pretty clear as well since there were no trees present that you could use to hide for cover. It was probably due to the fact that the shadow of the main building pretty much deprives this place of the needed sunlight to grow vegetation. This was definitely a good place for a sparring match.

"Shall we ready ourselves then?" I ask the Chevalier who would be my opponent within the next couple of minutes. He nods as he takes off the sword and sheath on his back and hands it over to his master. "Oh, by the way, if I could make one more request of you, Saito?"

"What is it?" he looks at me with a puzzled expression on his face.

"Would it be okay if both of us were to use real swords?" I tell him my request.

And just as I had expected, the crowd including both of our masters looks at me in utter shock as another wave of chattering echoes through the open area.

"Hey! Hey! This really is like a real duel now!"

"Shouldn't we stop this before someone gets hurt?"

"Is this guy crazy? There's no way he wins if Saito uses a real sword."

"No, I think his just delusional."

I waited for them to calm down, which actually took a full minute, before I continued.

"Of course, we're not going to aim to kill each other even though we're using actual swords." I clarify to ease the unrest that my request had caused. "The person who can make the other admit defeat wins, is that condition alright with you?"

"I'm perfectly fine with that," he agrees, scratching the back of his head with a confused look on his face. "But why real swords. Using practice swords would be perfectly fine anyway."

"Like I told you earlier, I wish to test myself against you. And I wish to do so when you're at your best." I explain the reason for my request to him. "From what I've heard, the power of Gandalfr can only be used when holding a real weapon. So, you using a practice sword would be like giving me a handicap."

"You have a point there." he then takes back the sword that he had given the young Duchess for safe keeping and unsheathes it from its scabbard. He walks all the way to the eastern side of the clearing as he prepares to assume a fighting stance. "I'm ready when you are."

I smiled at his eagerness to cross swords with me. It seems that I wasn't the only one looking forward to this fight.

"Please, wait a moment." I tell him as I take off the sword stowed on my back and hand it over to my master which causes everyone to look at me strangely.

"Hey, I thought that we were going to be using real swords. So why are you handing your sword over to Tiffa?" he asks, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Don't tell me that you're actually the one who's going to fight with a handicap?"

"Nonsense." I tell him, dismissing what he felt to be a slight of his skill as a swordsman. "Only a genius or a fool would even think of going into a fight with a handicap, and I can assure you that I am neither. I just want to use a more appropriate weapon for this particular spar."

That last sentence was definitely a lie. The truth was that I didn't want to risk Uncle Derf revealing himself during the heat of combat. For some reason my Uncle Derf has taken a definite disliking to himself, complaining about how much better he is compared to that 'other sword'. It was something that I wasn't sure whether to make fun of or be sad about, and it was one of the main reasons why I didn't want to use him in this spar. I still wanted to keep the truth about myself a secret which will be impossible if I use him here. Knowing my Uncle, he wouldn't be able to keep his quillon shut if he were to go up against what he considered to be an inferior version of himself. Not to mention the amount of scolding that I would get showered with if I did end up losing while using him. I'm pretty sure that if that happened then I'll never hear the end of it.

Now, the only thing left for me to decide was what weapon I'd be using. Even though I did intend to treat this spar as seriously as I would a real fight, simply tracing one of my father's more powerful Noble Phantasms and using it against him would just be plain unfair. It wasn't the strength of our weapons but our own skill and technique as swordsmen that we would be pitting against each other, so I guess a simple blade would be the most ideal to use here. As I made my way to the opposite end of the clearing, I catch a glimpse of the rather irritated looking captain of the Undine Knights.

Ah! I think I know what sword I'm going to use now.

As I reach the spot that would serve as my starting point in this spar, I hold out my right hand, readying it to hold a blade in an instant.

Trace on.

There was an audible gasp that rippled through the clearing as our audience sees a three foot long blade materialize in my hand from seemingly out of nowhere.

'Oh, so he's an earth mage then.' someone from the crowd whose voice somewhat resembled Sir Reynald's, comments. "Wow, that sword seems to have lots of detail and intricate designs. The structure is pretty solid as well and looks to be made from high grade material. He's probably a triangle mage at the least." It was a very informed guess. Earth mages who are considered as the builders and engineers of the magical world are usually judged based on the design and quality of their constructs. Someone who is knowledgeable enough would be able to determine an earth mage's level simply by looking at his work. I should've expected nothing less from the man dubbed as the 'Mage Tactician' of the Undine Knights. "What do you think, Guiche?" he asks the person beside him for his opinion as an earth mage.

"That sword. It's... It's absolutely beautiful!" the blonde shamelessly gushes over the blade in my hand. "That elegant curve of the blade, that intricate yet stunning design on the fuller, that attention to detail... It's gorgeous!"

I try to hide the satisfied smirk on my face as I heard him heap praises upon the sword in my hand. I had expected such a reaction from him. After all, the blade that I would be using in this spar was something that he had designed himself.

The sword that I had traced is called the 'Red Rose'. It was a sword that the Captain of the Undine Knights, Guiche de Gramont, had wielded through the countless battles that he had participated in and had become a staple of his image. Its structure and design had been modified countless times by the captain as he steadily worked his way up to square class, finally resulting in this version that I now held in my hand which was the latest and most likely final form of the said sword. And though it was just a mundane blade with the only unique aspect of it being the fact that it had been created through magecraft, it was still a reliable weapon that had served the captain well in all the years that he had used it.

"That's a pretty good-looking sword you got there." the Chevalier across me compliments my weapon to which the blade in his hand abruptly snorts. "Where did you get it? I didn't see you holding a wand or anything that you could have used to make it."

"When did I claim to be an earth mage?" I ask him back. "And besides, this sword was always there." I tell him with a knowing smile on my face, amused by the puzzled look that he now had. "Shall we begin?" I ask though I was already in a fighting stance.

"Uh... yeah, sure." he answers as he too readies himself.

Even at this distance I could see the runes on his left hand glowing. I was ecstatic. I had heard from the Duchess how my father, when using both power of Gandalfr and Reinforcement, was like a force of nature. Combining that with the fact that he also had numerous legendary blades at his disposal and you would get an almost mythical figure that was larger than life, which in many ways he was. Now, I was face-to-face with someone who possessed a portion of that power. Though being transported to an alternate world had many drawbacks; this was definitely not one of them.

We stare at each other, unmoving as if both of us were frozen in our respective stances, waiting in bated breath for the other to make the first move. Each of us had seen a glimpse of the others skill last night, but that didn't change the fact that neither of us actually knew what the other was capable of. The sword in his hand seemed to be giving him some pointers on what to do. It would serve my opponent well if he were to listen to it since chances are that the Derflinger of this world had witnessed many battles before and had been wielded by a number of skilled warriors. In the end, being the impatient person that I was, I break the stalemate between the two of us as I began my attack.

The Red Rose was a weapon adept at slashing, its wide fuller and short yet top-heavy tip altering its balance thus making it stronger on the swing. Its light frame also prevented it's user from being easily exhausted while stringing multiple attacks together. Making use of those facts, I began to put together a flurry of attacks aimed to either kill or incapacitate my opponent. I aim at his torso, his chest, his arms, and his waist. Sometimes I would go even lover and take a swing at his knees and thighs. To his credit however, Saito is able to deflect every attack that I throw at him. The fluid motion that he uses his blade as if it were but a mere extension of his hand enables him to block each and every strike. Of course, as much as he tried, he couldn't effectively wage a counter attack against me. My low stance, the fact that I never aimed higher than his shoulder thus preventing him from simply deflecting the strike high enough for me to not be able to retract my blade in time to deter him from closing in, and the rapid succession of short yet well-aimed swings that I was using was stopping him from doing so.

"Hey, that guy's really good!" I hear someone from the crowd tell the people around him. "Saito can't even counter him."

"I don't believe this! The Vice Captain might actually lose."

But their worries were proven to be premature since the tide of the battle soon shifts against me.

At the corner of my sight, I could see the runes of Gandalfr shining brighter and brighter like an open flame being fed with more firewood. I could sense his speed and strength slowly increasing. At the start of the battle, all he could do was to simply block my attack but now he was parrying them. And soon enough, after he parry's the next two strikes that I had unleashed on him, he manages to counter me with a quick thrust aimed straight at my diaphragm. I retreat back to avoid the strike. As the flurry of steel comes to an abrupt halt, we stare at each other again. Both of our breathing slightly labored. I could no longer see the friendly and accommodating expression that he had before the spar began. He looked more serious now; it actually reminded me of the face that he made when I had injured the young Duchess that had accompanied him last night. He's probably realized it by now. From the moment that he had agreed to my request of using real swords, this match was no longer just a simple spar. This was as real of a battle as any that he had fought in.

I briefly survey the faces of the people that surrounded us. All of them had been rendered speechless by the display. They too had probably noticed that the strikes that the Chevalier and I had aimed at each other were attacks that had been meant to kill. Even an amateur could see the difference between a spar and a real fight to the death. My opponent's master looked relieved by the fact that her servant was able to weather my attacks and was even able to nearly gut me. My master on the other hand seemed to be both troubled and confused. On one end, she was probably glad that her Servant was unable to decapitate her friend. But on the other end, her friend just tried to shove three feet of cold hard steel straight through her servant's stomach. Either way, she would've come out the loser no matter what.

"I thought that we weren't actually going to try and kill each other?" I reminded him of the rules that we had set before the beginning of our match, completely disregarding the fact that I too was guilty of breaking them. "That attack just now would've definitely killed me if it had landed." I wasn't really angry though and I think he could tell as well since my voice was devoid of any hint of outrage.

"How about you?" he immediately shouts back. "If I had been just a bit slower then I would be missing an arm or a leg right now!"

"I guess." my lips curve to form a half-grin. "Well then, shall we stop pretending and treat this like a real battle. I think that's what we both want, right?"

"We've already gone past that point anyway." he retorts back as he resumes his fighting stance.

"Okay then. The same rules still apply, but this time we're going to be a bit more serious now." I quickly steel my expression, my face like a blank slate. Since we were going to treat this as a real battle, then I might as well act like I was in a real battle. Resuming my stance as well, I prepare for my next attack. "I think I owe you an apology." I tell him before our battle resumes.

"What for?" he asked, the serious look on his face not wavering.

"Earlier I told you that I wouldn't hold back, but in the end I still ended up doing so. But don't worry," I began to flood my body and senses with my od, reinforcing them to the utmost. "Because I won't hold back anymore."

I charge at him, my speed faster than what it originally was when we started the match. In a blink of an eye, I close the distance between us which catches Saito off guard. Had it not been for the sentient blade in his hand that had shouted at him to 'Get a hold of yourself', then this battle would've have been decided then and there. I resumed my assault at his limbs, my reinforced arms swinging my sword with such strength and precision that my opponent once again found himself unable to launch a counterattack of his own as he was relegated to merely defending against my blows.

"U-Unbelievable!" a high pitched voice that sounded just like Sir Malicorne, shouts. "How did he become so fast? Could he actually be a wind mage?"

My advantage didn't last long however since I could see the runes in Saito's left hand starting to glow brighter as the speed difference between the two of us starts to close. I remember my Uncle Derf telling me once before how the power of Gandalfr was fueled by emotions. If that's the case then there was no better way to find out the extent of its power than in the heat of battle where emotions ran high. We were now exchanging blows, our respective speed and strength at comparable levels with myself having a slight advantage.

...And in the midst of our battle, I suddenly found myself disappointed.

Yes, he was indeed fast and strong. He moved like the wind and struck with the force of an ogre. His basics were solid and I think that even without the power of Gandalfr he would most likely still be a good swordsman. But he lacked the most important thing that those who have wielded a sword their entire life had acquired.

And because he lacked this important thing, his chances of beating me were slim to none.

He attacks me with a forward slash head on. Though his basics were good, he still had many holes in his form. They were not as noticeable compared to most swordsmen but they were still there. Taking advantage of the opportunity, I quickly grab his wrist and in one motion I turn my back towards him as I drive my sharp elbow straight through his chest. I immediately follow it up with another elbow, this time to his face, before he is able to free himself from my grasp. He retreats back as he blocks my sword's follow up strike.

A cry of outrage sweeps through the crowd as they started shouting 'cheater' and 'barbarian' at me.

"What the hell was that!" my foe shouts at me, unhappy about the series of moves that I had used against him. A bit of blood was dripping from one of his nostrils.

"I thought that we had agreed to treat this like a real fight?" I remind him, the expression on my face still blank. "And in a fight, you do everything it takes to win. Besides, I didn't do anything that can be considered illegal anyway."

"You just threw an elbow at me!" he shouts back, adamant that it was I who was in the wrong. "How is that not illegal?"

"Just as the sword is an extension of your body, so too is your body an extension of your sword." that was one of the lessons that my Auntie Agnes had taught me through the countless spars that we've had. "Just because you have a specific kind of weapon doesn't mean that you can't attack your opponent through other means."

"Damn it." he grumbles before charging at me in full force.

That was another thing that I had noticed from him during our brief exchange of strikes from earlier. Every attack that he made was intended to be a finishing blow. He doesn't utilize fakes or set ups. Against most fighters, especially with the power of Gandalfr at his disposal, it wouldn't be much of an issue. But against someone who is skilled enough, such mannerisms could prove to be fatal.

I block his head-on strike with my blade, locking both of us in a test of strength. But while we were in the midst of another stalemate, I shift the force that I was applying on my grip as I quickly step to the side and allowed his momentum to carry him past me, hitting his face again with the hilt of my sword as he did. He retreats back again, his lower lip busted, the frazzled look on his face present for everyone to see as the one thing that he lacked became more and more evident.

The one thing that Saito lacked was battle instinct, or in other words 'The Eye of the Mind'. A talent akin to a sixth sense in battle that is either innate or gained through many ordeals and actual combat. It is heightened insight that is continuously refined through experience in the battlefield. Every swordsman or warrior in general who has fought in enough do or die fights would be able to possess this in time. For someone like me who had been trained in the ways of the sword since childhood, I felt more at home in the field of battle than I did inside the Tristania Royal Castle itself. I don't know who Saito was in his world, but from what I've seen his skills were still at their infancy. And although he possesses the power of the Gandalfr which gives him the ability to wield any weapon as if it were an extension of his body and an increase in his physical traits, that still doesn't completely make up for his lack of instincts.

I ready myself for another charge; I knew that the next series of attacks would be the last of this battle. I launch myself straight at him as I slam my blade against his. He tries to stand his ground but the force of my charge was too strong and he backs up a bit; and just as I had planned, his left foot sinks into one of the shallow potholes in the clearing which causes him to lose his balance.

Using your surroundings to your advantage was another thing that I had learned from the Captain of the Musketeer Corps.

I quickly disarm him with my sword (a move that Auntie Agnes had personally taught me herself), after which I grab the collar of his shirt and drive my knee straight through his diaphragm. He falls on his back and before he could even know what was going on, I press my foot on his chest and prevent him from standing as I point the tip of my sword at his neck. Now that he no longer had a weapon in hand, the power of Gandalfr was once again dormant which meant this match's victor had already been decided. There was no need to hear the Chevalier yield to me since everyone in the clearing knew who had won.

"I-I can't believe it..!" someone from the crowd speaks in utter shock, expressing what most of the now silent audience was probably thinking.

"Saito... lost." the young Duchess that was with my master also expresses her disbelief.

The Chevalier holds both of his hands at me in surrender. "I lost, fair and square." he says, admitting his defeat as he gingerly tries to get up. "That was a good match. Maybe you could teach me some of tho-!" but before he could finish what he was saying, I quickly press my foot down against his chest as I pin him to the ground again. "Hey! What the hell is your problem-!" he shouts at me before his face freezes in fear as he looks up at my face.

"I don't understand it at all." I whisper to no one in particular. "Why was it you and not_ him_ that was summoned?"

I glared at him and from the fear that I could see in his eyes I could only imagine what my face looked like right now.

"How could someone as weak as you possibly replace _him_."

My father, the King of Swords, whose adventures were the very stuff of legends. To think that his place could be so easily usurped by this naive little boy. Just the thought of it made my stomach turn. Had everything turned out as it should have, then I would be sparring with my father now instead of looking down at this brat.

"I wonder..." I slowly inch the tip of my sword to his neck, its blade grazing his sweating skin. "If I kill you now, then your master will have to perform the summoning ritual again."

That's right. If another summoning ritual were to be done then I'm sure that the Duchess would most definitely summon my father this time. All I had to do was kill this person and everything will be alright again.

"It wasn't supposed to be you." I whispered to him, condemning his existence in this world.

How dare this person try to take my father's place, to trick my mother, to pass himself as a hero.

"It wasn't supposed to be you." I repeated it like a chant.

Everyone in this world seemed to have turned out worse because of him. I would be doing them all a favor by killing this boy right here and now.

"Kiritsugu!" I hear my master call out my name in desperation.

I divert my gaze from the boy that I had pinned to the ground and look around. Some of the people from the crowd had pulled out their wands, and were now pointing it straight at me. Even the bald-headed professor who had assisted me in battle last night was aiming his staff at my direction, a blue flame floating at its tip and ready to be fired.

A bitter smile crosses my lips as I de-traced the sword in my hand. To think that I would lose my composure this badly, I'm going to get an earful from my Uncle about this tonight. I stretch out my empty hand towards the Chevalier as I remove my foot from his chest. "Sorry, I was just joking back there but I think I might have gone overboard." I tell him, trying to pass off what had happened as a simple jest gone awry.

He refuses to take my helping hand though as he stands up on his own, the look of distrust on his face basically telling me that he wasn't buying it.

"That didn't sound like a joke to me though!" he retorts back.

I shrugged as I turn my back to him. "Well, as they say, jokes are usually half meant." I reply back which prompts him to glare at me even more. Trying to convince him right now probably wouldn't work anyway so I wasn't going to waste my breath.

As I made my way towards my master, I could see the same look of fear that she had last night clouding her face again. It seems that all the progress that the both of us had made today had just gone down drain. Good job, Kiritsugu. The only thing that could make this worse is if the Duchess finds out about this and gives me some added punishment. Standing in front of her, I bow my head, not minding the ominous glare that everyone, including the young Duchess was giving me.

"I apologize for pushing my prank too far, Master." I tell her, trying to make myself look as remorseful as I could. "It's almost dinner time. Would you like me to escort you to the dining hall? Or maybe you'd prefer to eat in your room?"

She doesn't answer my question though as she nervously backs away from me before sprinting off.

For the rest of the night, though we shared the same room, I would not hear another word from my master.

-(Scene Break)-

_"Can I really trust him?"_

_Those were her last thoughts before succumbing to sleep._

_Earlier in the day, she thought that she and her Servant were finally coming to understand each other. He seemed like a kind-hearted person, especially when he was talking to Miss Siesta and Miss Tabitha. He had even played with the blue-haired mage's dragon familiar, Sylphid, and as someone who was in-tune with nature through her elven heritage she knew that such creatures would not get along with just anyone. And yet, during that spar (if one could still call it that); she once again saw the darker side of her Servant. A side of him that showed absolutely no emotion at all as he fought to kill his opponent. This was definitely a side of him that she feared._

_There was just such a strange paradox to him that she began to doubt whether she would ever come to understand him at all._

_And even stranger still was the misplaced anger that he displayed against Saito._

_Being a Half-elf, she was able to hear bits and pieces of their verbal exchanges. But the one thing that she wondered about the most was the phrase that he kept on saying just when she and the others thought that her Servant was about to take the Black-haired boy's life._

_"It wasn't supposed to be you."_

_He had said this with such bitterness in his voice that to her it felt like he was blaming Saito for something that he had deemed unforgivable._

_She wanted to ask him how he could bare such hatred towards someone whom he had just met._

_How he could seemingly get along with some people while deeming others as enemies?_

_How he could bring himself to kill so easily?_

_She wanted to ask him many things, but the fear that she felt prevented her from doing so._

_That night, she dreamed of the boy once more._

_In her dream, she saw the boy lying on his bed with a wooden sword in his hand. The women from before who looked very much like an older Queen Henrietta was sitting by the boy's side as she regales him with one of his father's legends. In that particular tale, she tells him how his father was able to vanquish a great evil that threatened the entire continent by wielding a sword whose blade shone like a second sun. As she ends her story the woman prompts the boy to go to sleep, but the boy seemed to be even more invigorated by the previous tale of his father and he quickly asks the woman:_

_"Mother, what did you like best about Father?"_

_The woman smiles upon hearing the boy's question. As he tucks her son to his bed, she tells him of the things that had made her fall for the boy's father._

_The fact that he was kind and gentle._

_The fact that he was strong and wise._

_The fact that he could make great tea and cook better than the Royal chef himself._

_And the fact that he was always loyal to the person that he loved._

_"Loyal to you, right Mother?" the boy says to her. But to his confusion, the woman does not answer. She merely smiles at him as she tells him to go to sleep. And as she leaves his room, the boy sees the bitter smile that had appeared on the women's face._

_And so on that night, she dreamt of a boy holding a wooden sword in his hand as he lay awake on his bed, wondering why his mother had left with such a sad expression._

* * *

Hey guys! Sorry for the delayed update, but to be fair this Chapter not only was close to double the words of my previous chapters, but this is the longest chapter that I've written ever. It just amazes me how GB could literally make these long chapters since they really are tiring to do. A few things that I want to tackle right now.

(1) Most of the explanations that Kiri (or should I say Kerry) gave Tiffa at the start of the Chapter was based on the explanation given by Shirou to Louise in HoS so some of the dialogue should be familiar to you guys.

(2) As for the bit were Kiri inherited one of Shirou's more comedic traits given to him by GB. Yeah, I know that giving him Dragon bit is doing a poor job of differentiating the two but I just couldn't resist. I did change the dynamic of the trait so they are not actually the same. Hope you enjoyed that scene as much as I did writing it. And besides what good is a fic if you can't enjoy writing it, right? As for the 'Kerry' bit. After watching F/Z I knew I had to put that in somewhere.

(3) I never knew how hard writing fight scenes actually is. Just makes me appreciate HoS and In Flight that much more. Also one of my proofreaders told me that Kiri came off as a bit off a Psycho in my first draft so I had to redo the whole thing three times which also added to why this Chapter took so long. The last scene before the dream sequence wasn't great but I think it was okay. I'd like to see your opinions about it for future reference.

(4) Another thing about the fight scene that I had such a hard time was trying to not make Saito too weak or too strong. It also doesn't help that the Gandalfr powers both in the anime and the parts of the LN that I've read is a bit inconsistent. Hopefully I did the fight enough justice to satisfy most of you guys.

And one more thing. I've gotten three suggestions on how I could explain Kiri's ability to use Shirou's swords. One of which I'm really leaning to since it would explain a lot of things about Kiri's motivations and somewhat makes sense as well. I'm still thinking it over though just to make sure that it won't screw me over in the later chapters. Anyway, thanks and kindly review

…AND WOULD SOMEONE PLEASE PUT A BODY ON THAT B!TCH COLLISON! WE'RE DOWN BY 15 PTS ALREADY DAMN IT! yeah, I'm watching a stream of the playoffs right now and it's not looking good for the lakeshow :(


	4. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

"Honored Founder Brimir..." I hear the Pope who was standing in front of the golden altar pray in the midst of conducting this mass of thanksgiving. "May you protect the peace of Halkeginia. May you keep this land pure for all time."

Currently, I together with many others were inside the main chapel of the Great Pentagon Cathedral of Romalia, taking part in the celebration of the third year anniversary of the Pope's ascension to the highest station of the Church of Brimir. I had been standing at the corner since the start of the festivities, looking over the kneeling figures of my master and the young Duchess as they immersed themselves in deep prayer together with three other females. The two of them were serving as priestesses for this particular mass having been asked by the Pope prior to my arrival here. As the mass continues on, from time to time I would find my eyes wandering around the chapel as I looked at the stained-glass portraits that decorated the sides of the walls. Though I had been to Romalia before, this was actually the first time that I had entered and seen this place. My mother had been adamant about keeping my identity a secret from the Church since they were not very big admirers of my father's work; so she had decided to not bring me with her during her trips here.

"May you protect the peace of Halkeginia. May you keep this land pure for all time." the five priestesses that joined the Pope at the altar chant in unison.

Leaning back at the stone pillar behind me, I survey the crowd occupying the building. Almost everyone inside was garbed in very expensive attire, denoting their status as members of the Nobility. Both the countries of Germania and Tristain were well represented here since this world's version of my mother, Queen Henrietta of Tristain and the brother of the Emperor of Germania, the Grand Duke Sigobert of Zulpich were present amongst the parishioners.

As the Pope continued on with the mass, at the corner of my eye I could see the Grand Duke of Germania slowly inching closer and closer to the Queen (I wasn't really listening to the sermon of the Pope anyway) which quickly brings a frown to my face.

Back in my world, my mother was known throughout the entire continent for her beauty and graceful figure, so much so that she had been dubbed with the unofficial title of 'The Flower of Halkeginia'. From what I've heard, before she had taken the throne many male royals and nobles from all over the continent had come asking for her hand in marriage, offering things like reputation, territory, and treaties as some sort of dowry for her. Auntie Agnes had told me that back then, most of the nobility and politicians of Tristain simply viewed my mother as someone who was destined to be nothing more than a mere token wife. They thought that she was not really suited for the role of ruling and leading a country. In fact, during the early stages of her regime most of the more difficult decisions were made by the Cardinal Mazarin. At one point she had even been arranged to wed the Emperor of Germania. Of course, that all fell apart once the war with Albion began. When my father's name and reputation started to spread throughout the other kingdoms, and when the rumors of him being romantically linked to my mother surfaced, the proposals immediately stopped as well. I guess none of my mother's suitors at that time had any steel in their backbone. But then again, who could blame them? After my father died, many nobles and royals from all over the continent started to pursue her hand again. She had become a sought after commodity, not just because her beauty had increased as she matured like fine wine being allowed to age, but also due to the fact that she had a powerful ally in Gallia via the treaty that she and the Queen Charlotte had agreed to.

The Grand Duke Sigobert had been one of her more 'persistent' suitors, visiting and loitering around the Tristania Royal Castle on a once per week basis. From what I've heard about him, he had joined the campaign during the war between the allied forces of Tristain and Germania against the Kingdom of Albion, but had to retire early from combat after presumably taking an arrow to the knee. And though the relationship between the countries of Tristain and Germania have been strained to say the least due in part to my father's earlier dealings with the Emperor of Germania; the Duke Sigobert had not allowed this little tidbit to get in the way of his pursuit of my mother. Having seen his face so many times, there was no way that I could mistake this person for anyone else. I guess even in this world, something's never change.

Quickly tracing a small dagger in my hand, I inconspicuously throw the said blade behind the Duke, pinning the edge of his maroon tinted cloak to the stone floor. As the Duke once again tries to inch closer to the Queen Henrietta's side, he immediately flops to the floor in a rather 'undignified' manner which brings a very big grin to my face. The mass comes to an abrupt stop as everyone stares at the embarrassed Duke who scurries back to his feet and looks back at his cloak to see what had caused him to experience such humiliation. Unfortunately, there was nothing there to see for him anymore since I had already de-traced the dagger. I couldn't help but snicker at the scene of him quickly distancing himself from the Queen while trying to hide his reddening face.

Hah, serves that bastard right.

As I tried to stifle myself from flat out laughing, at the corner of my eye I could see the Captain of the Musketeer Corps who was stationed near the entrance of the small chapel staring at me. The look that she was giving me seemed to be an inquisitive one, as if trying to puzzle out who exactly I was. It was something that I had noticed since the meeting with the Pope, but now the probing look that she was giving me was more intense. She must have heard about the little spar that Saito and I had yesterday and, assuming that she was as sharp as my own world's Auntie Agnes, after studying the information that she had gathered she must've noticed the similarities in our fighting doctrine. It was really something that couldn't be helped since she was the one who had taught me the very basics of sword play and a good chunk of my style of combat had been based on hers as well.

Together with her were the two other Servants of the Void, Saito and the Windalfr: Julio _Chesaré__. _From what I could see, the black-haired Chevalier seemed to be detailing a couple of his grievances to Sir Chesaré which the Romalian Priest was finding quite amusing. Based on their interactions, the two seemed to be in good terms with each other. If that really was the case then I guess that was just another thing that I could add to the ever increasing list of reasons that made me detest this world's Gandalfr. Not only had he unjustly taken my father's place, but he was also being friendly with this world's version of one of the main perpetrators of my father's death.

As the mass resumes again, I continue with my vigil over my praying master. I notice the cautious glance that she was giving me over her shoulder which I quickly return with a smile. Her response, however, was more panicked as she hurriedly returns her gaze back to the altar.

I sighed. This had been her response to me through all of last night ever since the spar with Saito. I had thought that she would be more amicable to me again if I allowed her sometime for herself and after she got a good night's rest. I had even prepared some morning tea for her to drink as my way of making amends with her. But all of it had been for naught since she had not calmed down around me like she was starting to before that whole fiasco. She was always fidgeting whenever I was anywhere near her and was constantly regarding me with a great deal of apprehension. I couldn't blame her though since all of this had been my fault, something that my Uncle was more than happy to point out to me last night after my master was fast asleep.

As the mass finally comes to an end prompting most of the parishioners to start leaving the chapel, I walk over to where my master was standing and bow my head with a smile.

"Shall we go to the common room so that you can relax and take a rest, Master?" I offered, not sparing the young Duchess who was glaring at me with such hatred in her eyes a second thought. She definitely did not like how I had treated her Servant yesterday.

"Umm… I…"

But before she could give me her reply, the angry pinkette with her grabs my master by her wrist as she drags her away from me.

"Let's go, Tiffa." she tells my master as she spares a very peeved glance at me. "You should be more careful of Psychopaths from now on."

As both my Master and the young Duchess escape to the main entrance, I could only sigh as I stood there by myself like an abandoned puppy. It was times like this when I wish I could ask my Mother Siesta for some advice. I mean, sure I had Uncle Derf with me but I seriously doubt that having the sentient blade regale me with his library of dirty jokes would make me feel any better.

Deciding that it was probably better to follow my master than just stand here like an idiot, I make my way towards the exit. As I did, I see her majesty, the Queen Henrietta looking at me with the same probing stare that she had when we first met. And just like our first meeting, I reply with the same smile that I had given her. This time she was more prepared now, no longer being caught off guard by my gesture and immediately returning it with one of her own. For a split second, I felt like I was back in my home world as a wave of nostalgia grips me. And as much as that gesture had lessened the headache that I was experiencing on this particular morning, it also made me remember those whom I had left behind in my world.

-(Scene Break)-

I was now waiting outside the common room that served as the place where the Priestesses could relax after a mass. A few minutes ago, the young Duchess had emerged from the room alone with a definite frown on her face, leaving my master inside by herself. She had quickly passed me by, not even acknowledging my presence as she walked down the holy halls. She was definitely someone who was slow to forgive others, a trait that she and the Duchess of my world shared.

As I waited for my master to emerge from the common room, I recall the view of the overflowing throngs of people that I had seen when I had taken a brief glance outside one of the windows of the hallway. The mobs of common folks were trying their best to force themselves through the front gate of the cathedral, unmindful of the hot weather.

The anniversary of the Pope's ascension was a very important event to the believers of the faith. Aristocrats from all over the continent flood the city of Romalia each year to take part in this celebration that would span a full two weeks. It also didn't hurt that Aquelia's famous bazaar which is known for selling many rare goods was held a week prior to the actual date of the event. Commoners who are the most steadfast in their faith in the founder were very fanatical about this event as well. According to one of my earlier teacher's, Ms. Elleonore, who had taught me about the basics of philosophy, etiquette, history, and the foundations of the magical theory used by Halkeginian mages; the crowds had swollen to such large numbers that the church had to institute a ban on all plebeians from entering the Gates of the Cathedral over a millennium ago. But in all honesty, that was really just a minor reason for the said ban. The truth was that most of the Nobility absolutely loathed having to share the same room with the lower class, thus they had secretly pressured the church to send out that decree.

At the front of that bustling crowd, I was just able to make out the images of Sir Malicorne and Sir Reynald as their faces were being jammed against the steel gates of the cathedral. I couldn't help but laugh a bit upon seeing that. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would ever see the infamous 'Mage Tactician' and 'The Grand Windward' reduced to doing something as mundane as crowd control. If those two ever found out about this then they would probably die of embarrassment. Not to mention the Captain would most likely lament on how pitiful this world's Undine Knights had turned into.

"Oi, kid! This is not the right time to be laughing." the blade that was stowed behind my back scolds me, taking advantage of this opportune moment of having just the two of us here. "How long are you going to drag this thing out? Why can't you just apologize to her and be done with it already?"

"I don't think that just a simple 'I'm sorry' would do in this case." I reply to my Uncle. If all it took was a simple apology to fix everything, then the world would have no need for any form of law enforcement.

"Hmph! Knowing you, which I do, you just don't want to apologize for what you did. Am I right, kid?" my Uncle chides me.

"…Well, that too." I reply. I guess my Uncle did know me very well.

It not like I wasn't aware that I had allowed my emotions to get the better of me. But with that said, though I would gladly apologize for the fact that I had gone overboard with my actions, I still had absolutely no intention of apologizing for my very action itself. Apologizing for what I did (to me) would be like condoning that brat's existence in this world. It would be like me saying that I was perfectly fine with the fact that he had taken what should have been my father's place, something that I would never be able to bring myself to forgive him for.

"Tsk. You're just as stubborn as partner. I guess you really are his kid." he comments before sheathing himself back to his scabbard.

"Stubborn, huh?" I whispered to myself. He did have a point. And besides, even if I had no intention of apologizing for what I did, that didn't mean that I shouldn't try harder to make amends with my master.

Actually, now that I think about it, there seems to be an important factor missing in the bond between the two of us.

_'The pairing of Master and Servant is a sacred and powerful thing, Kiri. The two of them can do many great things if they were to work together in a unified purpose. The bonds that they may end up forming can be stronger than any marriage, any friendship, and any camaraderie.'_

I remember the Duchess telling me something like that once before when I had asked her about the Master-Servant relationship that she had shared with my father. But I don't really feel anything of that sort towards my master. Granted of course that we had just met, but still.

It seemed that my Master and I lacked the essential thing that was needed for our bond to reach such levels.

The main foundation of the bond between Master and Servant, the thing that she and I did not have as of yet, was trust. There were still things that I haven't told her that, thinking back, I should've already, or at least had planned to reveal to her. I know that my situation was a bit too farfetched for anyone to believe (I still have a hard time believing it myself); the fact that I had come from a parallel world practically identical to this one with the only difference that I could note being that someone else had been summoned as the Gandalfr. And that's not even taking into account the fact that my world's timeline was over two decades in advance compared to this one. But I could've at least told her that I came from another world even if I didn't exactly go into detail about it. So what exactly was stopping me from telling her that? What was stopping me from trusting her?

I shook my head a bit, deciding to put these thoughts to the side for the mean time. Steeling my resolve, I approach the entrance of the common room where my master was as I make up my mind to try harder in making amends with her.

"Master, may I come in?" I tell her whilst knocking at the closed door. Suddenly, I hear the sound of a loud thud as if something or someone had fallen to the floor. Fearing for my master's safety, I forcefully open the door of the common room as I quickly storm inside of it.

"Master, is everything-!" I stop dead in my tracks as my whole body completely freezes. In front of me was the figure of my master in a rather 'inappropriate' position, her shapely legs sprawled over while her underwear was visible for all the world to see. My master after regaining her senses was now staring at me, her entire face quickly glowing a bright red as the expression that she had right now practically screamed of embarrassment. I too could feel a sudden warmth spreading across my cheeks as I quickly turn my head to the side. "...I think I'll come back later."

As I was about to close the door to the common room, I hear my master call out to me as she tried to stand up.

"Wait, Kiritsu-!" was as far as she got before I hear another loud thud echo across the room. Hazarding a glance back at my master, I see that she had again fallen (this time face first) to the floor.

I sighed. It would seem that my master was a bit of a klutz.

Putting my own embarrassment aside, I slowly approach her and hold out my hand. She looks at the hand that I had offered her with a bit of apprehension but after a while she decides to take it as I help her up and guide her to take a seat on one of the empty couches inside the room. Taking a seat of my own, I place myself in front of her. Brushing some of her bangs to the side which causes her to flinch a bit, I take a quick look at her forehead and see a small bruise.

"Stay still, Master." I tell her to which she nods as I place my index finger on her forehead. I run a bit of prana through one of my circuits, the moisture around my finger begins to condense as a small drop of water materializes at its tip. Using the droplet as a medium, I began to work my healing spell on my master as the bruise on her forehead starts to shrink.

"It feels really cool." my master comments as my spell continues to do its work. "So you know how to do healing spells too?"

"A little," I answer. If earth mages were considered as the architects of the magical world, then water mages are the designated doctors and healers. For a water mage of any level, to not even know how to do basic first-aid healing was a disgrace and a sin that deserved at least fifty lashes (or at least that's what Auntie Monmon told me). "Even though I'm just at dot level, I can at least do this much."

The two of us were silent as we remained in that position. To be honest, I didn't really know what to say to her, or what exactly I could do to make amends. My adolescent years had been spent mostly on training and sword play so socializing with girls that were the same age as me had not been very high on my priorities list. Instead of attending parties and Cotillions while mingling with the many Noble families of the land, I would spend most of my days outside the hot afternoon sun getting beaten up in sparring by either Auntie Agnes or Captain Guiche; and afterwards going to the nearby tavern to join the Captain of the Musketeer Corps in her regular drinking sessions with her buddies. It was just one of the many things that differentiated my life from how an average prince would live theirs. It also didn't help that not only were most of the women that I knew older than me, but some of them were actually more than capable of kicking my ass.

I wonder if my father ever had this kind of problem. ...Nah, I very much doubt that he did.

"...I'm sorry." I hear my master say, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

"What for, Master?" I ask, not sure what reason she had to apologize to me.

"It's just that I haven't said a single word to you since last night." she lowers her gaze, not being able to bring herself to look at me directly. "I feel like I've been very rude to you."

I sighed. "It's fine." I tell her, resting my hand atop her head after I finished healing her bruise. "Master, I think you should stop apologizing all the time. It's a really bad habit to have." I scolded her a bit, citing her rather unhealthy penchant of saying sorry for every little thing that she did.

"I'm sorry..." she mumbles. A few seconds later she quickly covers her mouth, her cheeks blushing a faint red upon realizing that she had inadvertently said it again.

I let out another sigh which prompts her to lower her head in shame. After a while though, a sly grin crosses my lips and before long I start to chuckle a bit.

She looks at me curiously and before long she finally realizes what and who exactly I was laughing at. With puffed cheeks she quickly turns her face to the side. "You're making fun of me again, aren't you."

"Just a bit." I tell her, whilst trying to hide my amusement. After making sure that her bruise was definitely healed, I retract my hand that had been resting at the top of her head as I slowly stood up. "Well, I'll go back to waiting outside then until your ready to leave, Master."

I give her a slight bow as I prepared to exit the room.

"Kiritsugu, wait." she calls out to me again, which causes me to stop. "Can we talk a bit? I really want to ask you a few things."

Looking at the troubled expression that she had, I could only guess that the questions that she was wanting to ask me had been on her mind for quite some time now.

"Of course, Master." I reply as I sit by her side. "What exactly do you want to talk about then?"

She seemed hesitant to continue for some reason. Was she unsure of how I would react to what she was about to ask? Did she think that I was going to get angry upon hearing what was on her mind?

"I just... I just don't understand you." she finally brings herself to say.

"What do you mean, Master?" I ask, completely lost as to what she meant.

She was silent for a moment, as if trying to think how she could properly put what was on her mind into words. "...It's just that," she looks at me dead in the eye as if finally gathering her resolve. "Your whole personality confuses me. One minute you act so kind and friendly to complete strangers, and yet suddenly you totally change your whole personality into someone who has no trouble taking someones life in cold-blood. It's like you're actually two different people trapped inside one body. I just don't understand it at all."

"Master..."

"I really want us to be close like Saito and Louise," she turns her gaze away from me and stares at the stone floor. "But there are just too many things about you that I can't figure out. It's like there's a wall between us. Even though you're my Servant, it still feels like you're a stranger to me. Can I really trust you?" An apologetic look appears on her face as her gaze returns to me again. "I'm really sorry. This is the first time that I've had a Servant so I don't know what to do or what it even means to be a Master."

Leaning back a bit, I start to address her worries. "You're actually right, Master. We're still both strangers to each other." I tell her bluntly. We've only known each other for less than two days. If one were to think about it, having some random guy dropping from out of the sky and introducing himself as your Servant was a bit sketchy. I probably would've hidden a dagger in my person at all times just in case my Servant wasn't actually as loyal as he/she was advertising him or herself to be. Also taking my Master's rather naive personality into account and considering all the setbacks that our partnership has experienced due to the constant bad impressions that I was making, I could somewhat understand why she would be hesitant to trust me. "It seems that the main problem of our partnership is trust."

"Trust?"

I nod. "It's something that can't be helped since this partnership of ours has just started. But don't worry, Master. In time, I'm sure that both of us will get over this particular issue." I tell her.

Truth be told, looking at our situation in that light was just being too optimistic.

After all, trust is not something that is given, it is earned.

"I hope you're right." my master speaks. I think that she also felt that such a view was too naive.

"No worries, Master." I assure her. "Regardless of issues in trust, as your Servant you need only to order me and I shall wholeheartedly follow."

"But what reason do you have to follow my orders?" she asks me, to which my eyes slightly widen a bit as I was caught off guard by her question. "I don't have anything to offer you. I neither have money nor status. I'm not a powerful mage either and chances are that even if you do something that I'm completely against, I wouldn't be able to stop you anyway." I purposely did not look at her, but even though I couldn't see what she was doing, I knew for a fact that she was staring at me, waiting for my reply. "Kiritsugu, why do you follow me?"

I didn't know how to properly answer her. She was definitely justified in asking those questions. Unlike ordinary familiars, Servants were more than capable of practicing a bit of autonomy. We weren't really obligated to be completely obedient to our masters. In fact, I remember Uncle Derf and the Duchess mentioning something about how the first Gandalfr had actually been the one who had killed the Founder Brimir. This was even more pronounced for me and my father. Since both of our magic circuits were open, we had an inert resistance to the magical compulsions engraved in our servant runes. And if that wasn't enough, both of us could just simply trace the Noble Phantasm 'Rule Breaker' to cut our ties with our masters.

So why exactly was I following her orders?

I had my reasons, personal ones at that... But I decided not to reveal them to her. I believe that doing so would not only clue her in on where I came from but may also make things more complicated.

"I am your Servant. I serve as both a shield to protect you from all those who wish to do you harm, and a sword to cut down your enemies. That is more than enough of a reason for me to follow you, Master."

She looks at me with downtrodden eyes. I couldn't help but wonder what was going through her mind right now after hearing such a simplistic and awfully flawed answer. Did she find my reply a sufficient enough reason for her to intrust her life to me? Was she having doubts about this partnership of ours? Or was it something else that was making her look at me like she was seeing an innocent puppy being kicked?

In the end, I simply brush away my curiosity. Such matters were unimportant in the grand scheme of things.

"Kiritsugu, can I ask you about one more thing?"

I nod at her again. "Of course, Master."

She stares at me in silence, holding her tongue for what felt like an eternity before finally asking her question. "What do you feel about killing people?"

It was a query that catches me by surprise, so much so that it took me a while to gather myself and answer.

"...I'm indifferent to it." I finally bring myself to reply.

"Indifferent?"

"I don't derive any pleasure from killing someone, but I'm also not enough of a hypocrite to say that I despise it." I tell her, expounding on my answer. "For me, killing is but a means to an end. Nothing more, nothing less."

"How many have you killed, Kiritsugu?"

"Many." I admit to her. "I've killed my fair share of humans and non-humans alike."

"Did you kill elves too?" she asked me further. She must've remembered the conversation that I had with Miss Siesta yesterday when I had asked the young maid if Saito was able to kill the elf that they had encountered during their rescue of the future Queen of Galia.

I was hesitant to answer that particular query. My master was a half-elf. And although I was not sure how important her elven heritage was to her, to tell her that I had actually hunted and killed some of her kind would no doubt give her an even worse impression of me, making her fear me even more. In the end, however, I felt that I had hidden too many things from her already so I decided to answer truthfully.

"...Yes."

"Did you not feel anything whenever you took a life?"

This time, I resolved myself to answer her without a single moment of doubt or hesitation. "None."

_I am the bone of my sword._

_Steel is my body and fire is my blood._

Those were the first two lines of my father's aria. But more than that, it perfectly mirrored my father's mentality whenever he went into battle. A fitting description of someone who had acted and lived as a sword for all his life. My father was a sword, an immaculate blade that cut through all those who stood against him. The greatest hero to have ever graced Halkeginia.

In order for me to be able to keep my childhood vow of becoming a hero like my father, then I too had to mirror that same mentality and strive to live by that same creed.

For Kiritsugu Emiya to become a hero like Shirou Emiya, he too must turn himself into a sword.

And as someone who has wielded swords throughout the majority of his life, I knew for a fact that a sword felt no emotion whenever it was brought down to take a life.

Upon hearing my answer, she regards me with such a sad expression on her face as if she had just heard the most depressing story in the world. I found the look of pity that she was giving me to be a bit irritating, but I kept that complaint to myself.

"Kiritsugu, can I make a request of you?"

"Anything, Master." I reply.

"Could you please try your best not to kill anyone from now on."

I was immediately tongue-tied after hearing what she wanted me to do. Such a request... was just too stupid.

Killing was a necessity for someone like me who had spent a good number of years in the battlefield. To stop myself from killing my opponent would be the same as me going into a fight with a handicap. And against a powerful opponent, I could ill afford to have something like that hanging over my every move. And even against weaker opponents that I can defeat, to not kill someone who had gained knowledge of your abilities was the worst sin that you could commit in the battlefield since that same foe could come back more prepared to take you on the next time.

"...I'll see what I can do, Master." I tell her, without actually committing to anything. After all, it was just a request and not an order. I'll just have to figure something out to make my master see reason.

"Thank you." she tells me. The look of relief on her face was like a reinforced punch to my gut. She must be thinking that I was fine with her request which I was definitely not. But not wanting to cause my master anymore distress, I simply decide to remain silent.

In this case, I think ignorance really was bliss.

-(Scene Break)-

After my master had finally gotten her rest, we both began to walk through the hallway of the Cathedral. As we were making our way to the outside, my Master began to tell me what exactly happened inside the common room while I was waiting for her outside. She was telling me that both she and the young Duchess were talking about yesterday's spar, how angry the young Duchess had been, and how she was constantly warning her about me. The irate pinkette had even mulled on a couple of ideas on how they could possibly sever the contract between me and my Master since she felt that I was too dangerous to keep around. When my Master told her that she was fine and that she believed that there was no need for such a thing, that statement seemed to have left a rather bad taste in the young Duchess' mouth.

As she was telling me all of this, I couldn't help but notice how she was more comfortable with my presence now compared to earlier in the day. I could still sense a bit of apprehension from her though; I guess the fact that she was walking beside someone who had no qualms in admitting to killing others may have something to do with it. Also, before we had left the common room, the topic of my master's life prior to arriving in Tristain popped up. She had told me that she had lived most of her life in Westwood, spending the majority of her time taking care of the orphans in both her village and the neighboring ones as well. She pretty much managed everything by herself, with some occasional help from time to time. She specifically mentioned a woman by the name of Mathilda who had greatly helped her both in taking care of the many children that she handled while also providing for them financially. I wasn't really aware of anyone that went by that name when I was gathering information on the Fairy of Westwood back in my world. And as far as I knew, my father had never met anyone called Mathilda either. I guess I'll ask Uncle Derf if he was familiar with the name later tonight.

A part of me had wondered why she ended up trading in that peaceful life for this messy situation that she was in right now, so I had nonchalantly asked who had persuaded her to go to Tristain. She then informed me that it was actually Saito, by the Queen Henrietta's behest, who had convinced her to leave Westwood. They had enticed her with the opportunity to see the outside world, something that my master had secretly wanted to do since childhood. And together with the blessing of the woman named Mathilda, she ended up agreeing to the proposal.

After hearing her answer, I was quickly reminded of something that Uncle Derf told me before. It was in regards to why my father had not informed anyone about the fact that the fairy of Westwood was actually the void mage of Albion.

Uncle Derf said that my father viewed her kindness and innocence as something to be treasured. And it was because of this that he wanted to save her from the fate that befell all those who bore the power of the void and were aware of it. He did not want that purity to be tainted by the outside world.

Glancing over to my Master, I couldn't help but note the palpable aura of innocence and naivety that she exuded. To be honest, now that I was seeing that same purity first-hand, I couldn't help but agree with my father's decision and think that what Saito and the Queen had done was wrong. The world in general was a cruel place where the needs of the many were often times put aside in order to satisfy the greedy few. And such a truth wasn't exclusive to Nobles either since even plebeians were guilty of this. I had seen it for myself. Mercenaries and thugs ransacking through towns and burning villages to the ground. Parents selling off their children to slavery in order to pay off their debt to a nobleman. A commoner killing his fellow commoner for money. Such was the reality of the outside world; a reality that I was fully aware off. In fact, I was close to believing that there were actually no innocents at all, only people with varying degrees of guilt. My master's whole persona, however, seemed to contradict that statement. And for the black-haired Chevalier to endanger that innocence was something that I greatly disagreed with. There was even a small part of me that regretted answering her call since my very existence itself threatened the same innocence that my father had tried to protect.

As my mind continued to ponder on these thoughts (I was barely even listening to my master now); it was then that I finally realized why I was having a hard time trusting her.

A Servant in the end can only really trust his or her own Master. So the main reason why I could not trust her was because I could not bring myself to consider her as a 'real' master. She had said so herself; how she had absolutely no idea what to do or what it meant to be a master. I, on the other hand, had somewhat of an idea of how a master would and should act. In my world's recorded history, their have been five mages who had embodied the very title of 'Master'. They were the Founder Brimir, the Duchess of Emptiness, the now dead former Pope of Romalia, the incompetent King Joesph, and the exiled princess of Galia. Using the blood of those that had died (whether directly or indirectly) due to their actions as their ink and the swords that had been wielded in the wars that the five of them had both caused and participated in as their pen, they had left their mark in varying degrees. Thus, when one thinks of the title of 'Master', it usually denotes a person who was fully aware of the path of bloodshed that he or she was destined to walk and was willing to embrace it. In other words, a 'True' Master must have a resolve as strong as steel within them to follow through the path that they had decided to take.

Unfortunately, that seemed to be something that my Master lacked.

My master was soft-hearted, kind, naive, and forgiving. Had it not been for the fact that she was a half-elf, the church would've probably proclaimed her as a Saint. Unfortunately, there was no room for Saints in the battlefield. Although I viewed those things as very commendable traits, one could ill-afford to have them in the midst of battle. A Master must be ruthless, unrelenting, unforgiving, and conniving. She, however, was none of those things.

Truth be told, most of the women that I knew possessed steel in them. From my mentor the Captain of the Musketeer Corps, Agnes Chevalier de Milan all the way up to my mother, Queen Henrietta de Tristain. Even my Mother Siesta had a bit of steel in her as well ( I have yet to meet anyone who can turn a simple frying pan into a weapon of terror like she could). So interacting with such a naive person like my master was quite a new experience for me.

And it was because of this reason why, even though I gave her the appropriate degree of respect that a Servant is expected to give his master, I could not bring myself to think of her in the same light as a 'real' Master. I would no doubt do all that I can to keep her safe from harm, but if ever there comes a time where we were in the middle of a battle, I would most probably dismiss her as just another civilian that needed to be protected undermining her orders and simply doing what I think would be the best course of action.

"Kiritsugu?" I hear my master's voice as I am roused from my random musings. "You're awfully quiet. Is something wrong?"

"It's nothing, Master. I was just-"

"Hey, Tiffa!" I hear someone's voice call out to my master. Looking ahead, I see Saito together with one of the priestesses from earlier as he waved at the blonde half-elf to come closer.

"Saito." my master acknowledges him as she makes her way towards the Chevalier. Tugging at my hand she urges me to follow her as well. I take note of the definite frown that Saito had on his face. He was probably still salty about the beating that I had given him. Speaking of which, the bruises that I had given him in yesterday's spar were practically gone now, most likely due to the handiwork of a skilled water mage.

The glare that he was giving me was starting to annoy me though so I decided to hit back a bit.

"So, where's the 'little lemon' gone off to now?" I ask him, emphasizing the words 'little lemon' as I did so.

Immediately, his face starts to turn a bright red. "H-H-How did you-?"

I simply shrugged. The walls of the hotel that we had all stayed in last night were unexpectedly thin. Even without reinforcing my senses, I could still hear the two of them as they were in the middle of their lover's play. They would've probably succumbed to the desires of the flesh (as Auntie Kirche would call it) had it not been for Sir Malicorne's intervention. It seemed that the young Duchess and her Servant were far 'closer' then I had initially thought. I couldn't help but ask myself what exactly she saw in this person that would cause her to fall in love with him. If I were to judge Saito based on what I knew about the preferences of my world's Duchess, this guy wouldn't even make it pass the first cut.

And seriously, 'little lemon'? If he had the audacity to call the Duchess that in front of her face, there wouldn't be anything left of him to be buried once she was done with him.

"Little lemon?" my master asks as another set of imaginary question marks start to orbit around her head. Though my master was a half-elf and was supposed to possess extra-sensory hearing, I doubt that she was aware of what was happening in the other room since she was too busy fidgeting while in my presence.

"It's nothing! Nothing at all! Hahahaha!" he blabs incoherently, trying to sidestep that topic as he spares me one last look of annoyance.

My master nods, still not understanding what the two of us were on about but deciding to just let it go. "Umm… Saito, where's Louise? I haven't seen her since she left the common room."

"I've actually been looking for her," he replies. "So I'm asking around to see if anyone knows where she is." he then turns to the priestess with him and starts to do just that. "So when exactly did you last see Louise?"

"Just about half-an-hour ago before she left the holy halls." the girl replies.

"Louise left the holy halls?" Saito asks for confirmation, which is quickly answered by the priestess.

"Yes. This common girl asked her a favor and I guess she couldn't refuse…"

Common girl? That didn't sound right. No commoners are supposed to be allowed past the gate of the Cathedral. The security of this whole place should be air tight considering the number of holy knights stationed everywhere. The chances of a simple commoner making her way past the gate and strolling around the halls without being questioned was very unlikely.

Something was really off here.

"Thank you." Saito tells the priestess. "I'll go find her right now."

The priestess gives her a slight bow before leaving.

"That girl," the Chevalier mumbles to himself, worry etched in every corner of his face. "Why does she always have to do these random things?"

"I think that you should shoulder some of the blame instead of just pinning everything on your master." I quipped, which brings the attention of both my master and Saito towards me.

"What exactly are you trying to say?" he replies back. I guess he wasn't as oblivious as I thought.

I hesitated in answering him, especially after glancing over to my master.

I sighed. "…Nothing." I had just made amends with my master after all so I didn't want to reopen the wound while it was still healing by antagonizing a friend of hers. "Let's just go look for Miss Valliere before anything bad happens to her."

"No, we're going to talk about this right now!" he shouts at me. I guess this guy was pretty stubborn himself. Not that I had any right to tell him off since I was just as stubborn as him. "Just what the heck are you implying? What's your deal, anyway? We've only met less than two days ago and you treat me like I did something bad to you!"

You have no idea.

I look at him sternly, steeling my expression in order to hide the emotions that were boiling inside of me. The anger that I felt yesterday towards this brat was starting to emerge again as I am once more reminded of the consequences of him existing in this world.

It was because he was here that my father wasn't.

"A Servant's main purpose is to serve and protect his master, everything else comes in second. For a Servant to leave his master unattended is a disgrace."

"Hmph! Servant this, Master that, that's all that you ever talk about!" he retorts back. "You're probably just making all this stuff up to make yourself feel important!"

"Watch yourself, brat." I coldly reply to him. I could see the Chevalier flinch after hearing the threatening tone in my voice as the air felt thick with my killing intent. For someone like him who was not even worthy of the title of 'Servant', how dare he disparage that sacred bond by implying that I was merely making it up. "Say that to my face one more time and I'll be sure cut that disrespectful tongue of yours."

The two of us glare at each other, not blinking as we both reach for the hilt of our respective swords. The rune in Saito's left hand was starting to glow, and in retaliation I started to pump my body with Od. Uncle Derf's been itching for a shot of proving that he was far superior to this world's version of himself. I guess today is the day that he finally gets the chance to do just that.

"Kiritsugu, Saito, please stop this!" I hear my master voice from afar as I am quickly snapped out of that murderous trance that I had lulled myself into. The Chevalier in front of me seems to have experienced the same thing as he takes his hand off the hilt of his sword, the runes of Gandalfr that had started to glow just a few seconds ago beginning to dim once more "We should prioritize looking for Louise now? Kiritsugu is right, if we don't hurry than something bad might really happen to her."

Regaining my composure, I spare Saito one more look of disdain before turning to my master. "You're right, Master. I apologize for my actions. We should start looking for Miss Valliere now."

Saito nods in agreement though he still did not take his eyes off me.

As all three of us make our way to the exit of the holy halls, I glance at Saito from time to time and vice versa. If there was something that I found out today, it was that I definitely did not like this guy. And from the look that he was giving me, the feeling was definitely mutual.

-(Scene Break)-

We begin our search for the young Duchess by looking around the street corners and back-alleys of Aquelia. With the exception of some knights that had been stationed all across the city, the whole place felt kind of deserted. Chances are that most of the town's people were still camping out at the front gate of the Pentagon Cathedral, trying their hardest to get a glimpse of the pope. Initially, we were supposed to split up to cover more ground but upon my urging all three of us had decided to stick together. The two main reasons that I had for not wanting to spread ourselves thin was because one: I didn't want to leave my master on her own, and two: I still couldn't shake off the uncomfortable feeling that I felt upon learning that a commoner was actually able to get past the tight security that was in place and enter the cathedral without much hassle. My instincts were screaming at me, telling me that something was definitely not right here.

As we continue to search through another back-alley, I find myself occasionally glancing over to where the Chevalier with us was. And in the back of my mind I couldn't help but tell myself how unlucky the young Duchess of this world was to have summoned such a useless guy. It was a mystery to me how the young Duchess was still alive, having to rely on such a person.

"-It was you, wasn't it?" I hear a faint voice whisper to the wind. The tone of it was chilling and was dripping with utter bloodlust.

Sensing that danger was near, I reinforce all my senses to the utmost in order to detect any abnormalities in the area. After which I immediately pick up the flapping sound of a cape as it sailed downwards through the air. As I look up I see a figure hurtling down straight at me, aiming the blade of his sword that was tightly held in his hand directly at my head. Allowing my battle instincts to take over, I swiftly jump back to where my master and Saito were as I was just barely able to avoid a gruesome death by beheading. Placing myself between my would-be killer and my master, I unsheathe the sentient blade that was stowed behind my back.

I assess my foes appearance as I tried to see if I could recognize him or her. He was a blonde male of average height. His face seemed to indicate that he was just around my age bracket, maybe a year or two younger than me at the most. The clothes that he was wearing looked like something that an actor in a play would wear. And he was really _really_ pissed for some reason.

"Who are you?" I ask the blonde.

He didn't answer my question and instead continued to ramble on about something that I had no idea about. "It's you, isn't it? Yes, definitely you. The blue eyes, the reddish hair, a person who looks like a mercenary… it has to be you! It's got to be you! It's definitely you!"

What in the root is this guy talking about?

"Kill. Kill. Kill.I have to kill-." It was then that I noticed the deranged look in his eyes that greatly resembled that of a wild dog. This guy was definitely dangerous. "For brother Jack, must kill for Brother Jack." He looks at me with such pure hatred that it honestly sent a slight chill down my spine. "You killed Brother Jack… So I'm going to kill you too!"

Without warning, the mad blonde charges at me in full force as I blocked his frontal assault with Uncle Derf. This guy was no pushover; his initial strike was very strong, so strong in fact that if I had not reinforced myself earlier then I would have been definitely pushed back by it. It was not something that I expected from someone who had such a thin frame.

"You… How dare you do that to him! How dare you kill Brother Jack!" he shouts at me while we were in the midst of trying to force each other back, his spit flying from his mouth like a rabid dog.

Applying a bit more Od to my body, I am finally able to push him away as he retreats back, jumping high into the air before landing atop the stone wall behind him.

I stare at him in confusion. "Brother Jack?" I ask myself, trying to remember if I knew anyone that went by that name. It only took me a couple of seconds before my eyes widen as I came to realize something. Could this person be related to the mercenary that I had killed just the other day?

"For Brother Jack's sake, I'm going to kill you!" he raves madly at me, readying his sword for another strike.

"Hey!" I hear the voice of two new arrivals as they entered the scene. "What are you doing there?"

"Don't come any closer!" I shout at the two men who turned out to be the Holy Knights stationed in this area.

But it was already too late.

Before they could even register my warning, the blonde had already dashed towards them, walking along the narrow top of the stone wall like a professional acrobat doing a tightrope act. He then jumps behind them and before the two could fully turn their heads to meet the mad swordsman, he had already swung the blade in his hand as the now severed heads of his victims roll down to the ground.

"No one is allowed to interfere." he scolds the dead bodies before turning to me again. "Now, it's your turn."

Still keeping my eyes glued to the blonde, I address the two people behind me. "Master, I want you to go back to the Cathedral right now. This place isn't safe for you. Saito, make yourself useful and escort her back." Allowing my master to stay here would only put her in danger.

"Kiritsugu, what are you-?"

"Just go." I insisted, cutting my master's questioning short. Just as I had predicted, in the battlefield I could not bring myself to consider her as my master. Right now, she was just another civilian that needed to be evacuated so as to not get in the way.

"Don't ignore me, damn you!" the mad blonde shouts at me again, irate at my temporary dismissal of his presence. Running his fingers through the blade in his hand, his sword starts to glow a yellowish hue as sparks of energy start to converge at its tip. I see, so this person uses his sword as a foci to cast his spells. He then points the tip of his weapon at me as he shoots a lightning bolt at my direction.

I quickly block the offensive magic with Uncle Derf, the sentient blade drinking heartily of my opponents spell until it was no more.

"Wait, your sword can absorb magic too!" the other talking sword in Saito's possession sounds off, shocked at the rather familiar capability that the weapon in my hand exhibited.

I ignore the comment though as I again shout at the two people who I had ordered to run away. "Didn't I tell both of you to go!" I scolded them, annoyed by their slow reaction. I could not properly reprimand them though since I find that my opponent was already back in the offensive, lounging at me with a straight-forward thrust aimed at my stomach. I side step his attack and as he flies past me I take a swing at his neck. But just before my swords edge could even scratch his skin, I feel something impeding my blade from reaching my target. This slight delay gives my foe just enough time to mount a counter attack as he launches another thrust at me. I step back, judging the range of his weapon as I increase the distance between us in order to avoid being skewered. While doing so, I notice a faint greenish luminescence covering my opponent's sword and was stretching beyond its tip. Sensing danger from the mysterious glow, I shift my body sideways as I barely just avoid it.

As the exchange of attacks comes to a stop, I run my fingers over the place where the greenish glow that my foe's weapon emitted had passed through. It seemed that the left side of my black shirt had been cut by something as a bit of blood begins to stain my clothes. Recalling the previous exchange in my head, I begin to make guesses of my opponent's abilities. This guy was a mage without a doubt. The fact that he can cast lightning means that he was at least triangle class. His elemental affinity was most likely wind which would mean that he was probably capable of using boosting magic. I guess that would be the reason for the great level of agility that he was displaying in our fight. No ordinary human should be able to keep up with me when I'm using reinforcement, unless he himself was being aided by magecraft. It would also explain why I wasn't able to take advantage of that opening earlier since boosting magic could also be used defensively by coating one's body in a layer of wind which would be enough to block most attacks. Also, from what I've heard, wind mages who had enough skill could actually coat blunt weapons with a layer of wind as well thus giving it a sharp edge that could cut through almost anything. This was something that was usually done with Sword wands, but I guess using it on an actual sword was just as effective.

Taking advantage of the momentary ceasefire, I assess the wound that I had incurred at my left side. Luckily for me, it turned out that it was just a scratch; the wound was not deep enough to reach actual muscle fibers so it shouldn't hinder my movement.

I tighten my grip on the sword in my hand. Staring at my foe, I see the sadistic smile on his face slowly growing wider. The distance separating the two of us was about five meters. The weapon in the mad blonde's hand was slightly over a meter in length. But because of his ability to extend the range of his sword to undetermined lengths, the remaining four meters was meaningless.

And my opponent was fully aware of that.

Resuming his attack he charges at me again, his quick first step shortening the separation between the two of us by at least two meters in an instant as I ready to engage him in a clash of swords. But he doesn't advance any further and instead swings the blade in his hand forward. It was a strike that in normal circumstances would've fallen short of reaching me, but I knew better. My reinforced eyes quickly see the faint glimmer of green extending past his weapon's established range as it closes in on my head. I swing my sword to parry the invisible edge, the clash of magical wind and the steel in my hand letting sparks fly as the greenish glow of his sword grows faint upon coming into contact with the magic-drinking sword. The blonde immediately follows it up with a diagonal swing, the luminescence of his blade more pronounced now compared to what it was previously. I parry his attack again, his swords glow no longer fading upon coming into contact with mine, as I close in fast to eliminate the last two meters between us. Upon reaching striking range, instead of immediately taking a swing at him, I leaned so far forward that my head was practically at the level of his waist. By doing this I was able to duck under the blonde's return strike that had been aimed to severe my head from my shoulder. With a huge step to prevent me from completely falling over, I reestablish my legs underneath me as the sword in my hand is swung up, a long sweeping vertical attack that would no doubt cut him straight through from groin to shoulder the very moment that it connected. My adversary, as if anticipating my attack, pivots his body, moving to the side of my blade. But I had already set him up for my finishing strike.

Now inside his guard where his sword's ability to increase in length was meaningless, I move my left leg and pin his foot to the ground with my own to prevent him from escaping. I then reverse the momentum of my initial strike and aim a downward diagonal swing straight at his collarbone.

That should've ended our match right then and there. But it seems that I had underestimated my opponent's ability to use boosting magic.

Like what had happened earlier, the layer of wind that coated his body blocks my attack. I had thought that a prolonged contact with Uncle Derf would be enough to drain and thus bypass my enemy's invisible armor, but that turned out to be a miscalculation in my part. It seems that the blonde had also made his own adjustments upon learning my sword's ability and had thickened the layer of wind that surrounded his body accordingly. The blonde, finally seeing a chance to wage a counter assault, launches a horizontal strike at my waist that would've cut me into two had I not placed Uncle Derf between me and his deadly swing. I quickly retreat back, distancing myself from him and his sword.

As I tried to calm my breathing down, stare at the crazed swordsman again. He was practically foaming in the mouth, no doubt sensing his victory fast approaching. I was in a very tight spot right now. His weapon's range was very problematic for me. Since its length was constantly shifting I couldn't make a proper judgment on how far it could actually extend. And even if I try to close in on him, the invisible armor that he had was another obstacle that I had to somehow get past as well. I needed something that would be able to solve both puzzles at once.

And then an idea came rushing through my head with the same speed that Big Sister Irukukuu usually came at me whenever I was anywhere near her. I think I knew of just the right weapon to use in this situation.

Sheathing Uncle Derf back to his scabbard (an act which causes my foes eyes to narrow at me), I raise my now empty right hand to the side as I prepared myself to delve deeply into my father's armory.

"His Body is made out of Swords. His Blood is of Iron and his Heart of Glass."

Trace on.

It happens in an instant. My right hand that held nothing just now, suddenly finds itself grasping a red spear two meters in length. The weapon, though finely crafted, looked quite unremarkable with the only thing worthy of noting in its appearance being the red hue of both its shaft and blade. But though it seemed just like any ordinary spear, I knew better.

My foe looks at the red spear in my hand. And after getting over the initial shock of seeing me produce a weapon out of thin air, he starts to smirk.

"I'll be taking your head now. I'm sure that it would make Brother Jack happy if I showed it to him on a silver platter." He declares with a laugh as he readies himself for another attack. He probably thought that I was dumb enough to engage him in a long range duel without having any plans in place. Unfortunately for him, I had other things in mind.

As I placed my other hand on the spears shaft, preparing to thrust it forward with full force at any time, the confident swordsman dashes forward, his blade lounging straight at me as its greenish glow extends pass its tip again. If he thought that I was simply going to use my weapon to parry his strike, then he was wrong. Surprising my opponent I willingly close the distance between us, thrusting my spear forward and aiming the tip of its blade at the very center of the greenish light charging straight at me. Had I been using an ordinary spear, both of our strikes would've deflected each other, slightly altering each of their trajectories but not enough that the attacks would actually end up missing their targets. If that had happened then I would've no doubt lost that exchange seeing as his weapon had a longer range than mine and would reach me first.

That point was moot though since the spear in my hand was anything but ordinary.

"What-!" was all that my foe could say as his eyes widen upon seeing the blade of my spear plowing through the greenish luminescence that he had unleashed from his swords tip as if it were flowing water. With his advantage in range nullified, the scenario that I had been mulling about just moments ago plays out. This time, however, it was I who comes out the victor as my spear's tip closes in on him first. But I still had one last surprise in store for him.

My foe does not evade my thrust. Whether it was because he had too much faith in the boosting magic that protected him or some other reason, I didn't know. But whatever it was, it would now prove to be the cause of his downfall.

"-Guh!" he groans as the sharp spearhead penetrates his invisible armor and cuts deep through his shoulder. Stopping his forward momentum he scurries back as he tries to gather his senses, trying to figure out what had caused his once impregnable defense to fail him. With his left hand trying to stop the profuse bleeding coming from his shoulder he starts to back away slowly, the sadistic smirk that he had earlier turning into a frown as he looks at the now blood-stained tip of my spear. "Impossible. How did you-!"

Now it was my turn to smile.

The spear in my hand was called 'Gae Dearg'. Even in my world very few people knew of its name since, unlike most Noble Phantasms, the abilities of the spear are passive in nature. Thus, it does not require its name to be called upon in order to be utilized. And its ability was fearsome without a doubt. It was a weapon that cancels out any prana that comes into contact with its blade, rendering all magical enhancements and projections useless. A spear that 'nullifies' many Halkeginian spells, it was greatly feared by mages thus it was sometimes referred to as the 'Crimson Rose that Exorcises Magic'.

I inch closer to him as both my hands grip the shaft of Gae Daerg tightly. Our roles were now reversed. Earlier, it was my foe that had the advantage in range but now that privilege had switched to me thanks to my spear's unique ability. My opponent takes on a more defensive stance, switching his sword from his handicapped right side to his left as he prepares himself to parry any thrust that I may use against him.

Upon seeing this, I adjust the positioning of my hands accordingly, lowering them so that they were closer to the base of the shaft.

Though I had become quite proficient when it comes to wielding a standard sword, due to the variety of weapons stored within my father's armory I still had to devote a few years of my training on learning the basics of how to handle other types of swords, lances, halberds, and other bladed weapons. If I intended to make use of as many Noble Phantasms as I can, then I had to at least have passing knowledge of how to use all kinds of weapons, the spear being one of them.

Contrary to popular belief, the most effective way to attack with a spear was not by using thrusting motions. A thrusting attack could easily be parried and redirected upward or to the side, giving your opponent an unperturbed opening to close in on you and at close range a spears length was useless. No, the best way to attack with a spear was by using swinging motions which utilizes the weapon's length in full.

My foe seems to be unaware of this though since after seeing that I wasn't making any moves he decides to go back on the offensive, dashing forward as he tried to turn our match into a close-range fight. I guess I should be kind enough to show him why that was a mistake. I drew my weapon back a bit before smashing the bladed tip of the spear against his right side. He jumps upward to avoid having his stomach slashed open as he starts to glide towards me. I had anticipated this move from him though. Pulling back my spear a bit to adjust its reach, I arched my weapon upward. My opponent stops himself in mid-air through the use of some sort of wind spell as he just barely avoids being cut in half by my spear. He doesn't escape that exchange unscathed though since I see that my attack had given him a large vertical gash across his chest, ripping through both his armor of wind and clothes as blood starts to ooze out of the wound.

I could see him visibly wincing as he starts to back away. Taking advantage of the moment, I quickly bring myself closer to him as I start to swing my spear relentlessly in all directions. He feebly blocks my attacks, his body swaying along with the momentum of my blows. He probably favors his right hand since his left wasn't giving out much resistance. I string together a combination of attacks, mixing in a few thrusting blows aimed at his vitals with every swing that I throw at him. As my barrage of strikes continues, I add a slight change of direction for every other blow that I unleash at him, swinging left then reversing downwards and catching his ankle; swinging right and then arching upwards just grazing his cheek. The uncanny variations of my attacks were cutting up his body bit by painful bit and soon enough I trap him against a wall. He tries one last attempt to close in on me with his sword but all it took was another strong swing on my end to dislodge the blade from his grip. I point my spear's sharp tip at his neck, my eyes staring him down as if proclaiming my victory against him.

My opponent wasn't going to go quietly though. With one last act of desperation, he dives to the ground, his outstretched hand trying to grab the sword that was lying on the dirt floor. I wasn't going to just stand there and allow him that chance as I thrust the spear in my hand, impaling its blade on his thigh. He slumps to the floor face-first in agony, his left hand trying to pull out the blade that I had driven straight through his flesh.

With my opponent finally incapacitated, I walk over to where his squirming body was. My left hand was still loosely holding the shaft of the crimson spear as I press my knee against his back, effectively pinning him down to the ground.

I look around and see that my Master and Saito had gone against my advice and had chosen to stay within the vicinity. The look on the Chevalier's face could only be described as 'disturbed'. I guess seeing the battle between me and the mad blonde had left quite an impression on him. My master, on the other hand, had a somewhat blank look on her face. I wasn't sure whether that was a good or bad thing though. I sighed again. I better remember to scold her about not listening to me later.

I return my attention to my foe.

"Tell me, do you know a girl with strawberry-blonde hair that goes by the surname of Valliere.?" I began my interrogation of the defeated blonde, getting straight to the point.

"Get off me, you bastard!" he shouts at me, to which I reply by twisting the blade jammed in his thigh causing his body to writhe in pain. "-Guh!"

"Answer the question." I tell him, my voice cold like ice as I wipe off all traces of emotion in my face. I was not in the mood to play around with this person.

"As if I'll tell you anything!"

I see, so it's either he knows something but is not willing to divulge it to me, or he knows nothing and just wants to piss me off. Whichever it was, I'll find out soon enough. After all, even the dead will start singing once the sharp edge of a blade begins to dig deep into their flesh.

"Gahh-!" he shouts in agony as I begin to twist the spear embedded on his thigh even more, its sharp edges beginning to rip and tear through his flesh. "I'm going to kill you! I swear to the founder that I'll kill you!"

I guess I wasn't going to get any information from this person. Pulling the embedded blade from his wound which causes a torrent of blood to gush out, I grab the shaft of the spear with both of my hands as I lifted it above my head, preparing to bring it down and take my opponent's life.

"I see. If you're not going to tell me anything, I might as well kill you right now to save me the trouble later."

"Wait!" I hear a voice call out from the rooftops above me. Lifting my head to get a glimpse of the new arrival, I see the figure of a girl no taller than the young Duchess. Her hair color was somewhat similar to my mother's only hers was lighter in shade. She was also wearing a black dress that was abundant with white frills. Like the blonde that I had pinned to the ground underneath me, she too resembled a stage actress who was about to perform in a play. "The girl that you're looking for is no longer here."

"Jeanette, what are you doing?" the blonde yells at the girl.

"Its fine, Brother Lulou." she addresses him. "Our work is finished here anyway."

"What did you guys do to Louise?" Saito shouts from the corner, demanding answers from our newly arrived guest.

"That girl was really cute and nice. If anything, I'd say that she was a little too nice… so a really scary lady from Gallia took her away." she ambiguously answers the Chevalier's question with an amused expression on her face "They've probably left the city by now." she then looks at me, the playfulness that she exuded just seconds ago disappearing in an instant. "There, I've answered your question to my Brother Lulou. You can let him go now."

I stare at her, my face expressionless which causes her to flinch upon seeing it. "Sorry, but I didn't say that I'd let this person go even if you answered my question." I tell her bluntly.

This guy was just too dangerous to be let off the hook. People who are driven by rage and dreams of revenge are the most problematic enemies that you can have. They are usually relentless, resilient, and if given enough chances may end up being the cause of your death. They are a danger not just to you but also to your friends and loved ones. If this person ever found out that the blonde girl standing just a few feet from us was actually my master, then there was a chance that he would either use her to get to me or kill her as a means of taking revenge. Either way, I couldn't allow that to happen.

Which meant that the best course of action that I had at this very moment was to kill him right here and now.

"What? No! Brother Lulou!" she screams as she sees me lift the spear above my head as I prepared myself to kill this person.

But just before my spear could claim his life, I suddenly feel a pair of arms wrap themselves around me. As my head turns to find out who the idiot that had interrupted me was, I see my Master embracing me from behind as she tried to stop me from bringing the spear's edge down.

"Master, what're you doing?" I shout at her, dumfounded as to why she would stop me from eliminating a dangerous enemy.

"Kiritsugu, stop!" she tells me as her grip on me tightens, but I would have none of it as I tried to free myself from her without actually hurting her in any way. Unfortunately, this brief squabble between me and my master was enough to allow my prey to get away as he escapes from being pinned by my knee since I was currently distracted. He scampers away from me as he reaches for his sword that lay on the ground.

"Root damn it!" I cursed upon realizing that the blonde swordsman had gotten away from me.

I try to follow him, but it was too late since he had already regained possession of his weapon and was able to fire a gust of wind from its tip at me. I quickly cancel out the spell by slashing it with Gae Dearg's blade. As my sight searches for where the mad blonde was, I see that he was now standing a couple of meters away from me as he used his sword as a make-shift cane to support his wounded body. The girl named Jeanette that had appeared on the rooftop above us quickly jumps down and runs to the blodied swordsman's side. As Jeanette lifts one of the blonde's arms over her shoulder to help support his body, my defeated adversary glares at me.

"My name is Bleu of the Elemental Siblings. Remember it well because that is the name of the person who will kill you one day." he tells me as a sort of goodbye before the two of them start jumping over the roofs of the surrounding houses to make their escape.

"Wait! What did you do to Louise?" the Chevalier shouts as he runs in pursuit of the two of them.

I wanted to follow them as well but my master quickly holds me back, preventing me from chasing after the two.

Needless to say, I was absolutely livid.

Turning my attention towards her, I start shouting to the high heavens.

"What in the root's name was that, Master!" I yell at her, irate at the irrational behavior that she had displayed. Even if she was my master, her interference in the battlefield was not something that I could simply just ignore. One of the things that my mentors had drilled into my psyche was to never ever give your opponent another chance at you since they would be better prepared to fight you the next time. It was a rule that I had tried to always abide by especially during my six month journey across the continent.

I stare her down like a lion eying a gazelle. Back in my world, I rarely lost my temper. I always tried to keep myself composed, approaching every situation that I got into rationally and objectively. But ever since I arrived here, I seemed to be losing my temper all the time. I don't know whether it was the weird situation of being in an alternate yet very similar world from mine that was causing me to have this constant migraines, or if it was being around people who were supposed to be younger versions of persons that I knew though they acted slightly (or in some cases, very) different from their older counterparts. Whatever it was, the stress of it all was starting to grate on my nerves.

My master, however, did not shy away from my stare and instead stared right back at me as well. She did not look like the constantly frightened girl whom I had met just a mere two days ago.

"Were you really going to kill him?"

Controlling my breathing, I calm myself first before answering her.

"I had to." I answered, my voice lower and more relaxed compared to my earlier outburst at her.

"Even though he was already unarmed? Even though he had already lost? You were still going to kill him?"

I turn my gaze away from her, knowing that someone like her wouldn't understand my point of view. A part of me wanted to tell her if she could at least worry about me just as much as she worried about my enemies who were also trying to kill me, though I held that comment in. But be that as it may, I still answered her question as a sign of courtesy.

"If I didn't he would've come after me again. Or worse, he might end up targeting you to get to me." I defended my actions. In the battlefield, there is no room for mercy. It's either kill, or be killed. "Eliminating that person was the most sensible thing to do, Master."

"Then... will you break your vow to me if it ever becomes the sensible thing to do?" she asks, the warmth that was usually present in her voice was gone and was now replaced by a tone full of cold fury that ill-suited my naive master. Initially, I was confused as to what she was referring to, but then I quickly remembered the vow that I had sworn to her when we officially made our pact...

To serve as both her sword and shield.

"Would you break your promises like it were nothing? Would you murder people as if they were nothing?" I glance back at her and see her face now looking down at the floor, her hands tightly gripping the sides of her white priestess robes. "If that's the case then I don't want to be protected by someone like you!"

I was silent, unable to reply to anything that she said. Something about her right now was different.

She raises her head and looks at me. "This is my order to you," Her facial expression was hard and showed no compromise. Her eyes for some strange reason reminded me greatly of my mother's - sapphire eyes that resembled daggers. "For as long as I am your master, I forbid you to kill anyone."

I remained standing there, unmoving like a statue, as I gazed at my master.

I wanted to refuse, to say 'no', to tell her that I would not follow such an idiotic and unreasonable order. That following such an order would only lead to ruin and death - both mine and hers. Such an order was just too stupid and would put an unnecessary burden onto me that I was not willing to shoulder. And besides, had I not already said to myself that when it comes to matters in the battlefield that I would not treat her as a master but just as another civilian?

I wanted to refuse - I really did.

But I couldn't.

Because I could see the great resolve in her as she had given that order to me. I could see the steel that I had once thought that she lacked mirrored in her blue eyes. Because when she had given me that order, she had done so not as a request but as a real order... an order coming from a Master and directed to a Servant.

Slowly I kneeled in front of her as I bowed my head in deference.

"Understood." I replied. But just to see if her resolve concerning this issue was as strong as I thought it was, I decide to ask her one more thing. "But tell me Master, do you think we can survive the path ahead of us without taking a single life?"

"...Many would say no." she replied, and yet the tone of her voice was far from that of resignation or helplessness. She then smiles at me. A smile filled with not just her usual warmth but also with something else... Was that confidence that I see? "But that doesn't mean that we can't try, right?"

A grin crosses my lips. "Well said, Master."

Though I still believed the order that she had given me to be naive and illogical, though I had doubts on whether I would even be able to follow through with such an order... inwardly, I was somewhat happy.

Resolve and strength of character is not measured by the number of lives that you can willingly take or the number of wars that you end up participating in. It is measured by the willingness that one shows in taking the path of most resistance, knowing full well that only failure may await you at the end of that road yet still believing that you can make it and do the impossible.

It seems that my master did have some steel in her after all.

-(Scene Break)-

"I found this in an alley not far from the Holy Halls," the Captain of the Musketeer Corps spoke as she places a white headdress usually worn by priestesses atop the wooden table in front of her, showing it to everyone who was present. "I am certain that it belongs to Miss Vallière."

Currently, we were inside the throne room of the Pentagon Cathedral. Seated at the far end was the Pope and standing by his side was his Servant, Sir Chesaré. The Queen of Tristain was present as well together with Saito, my master and myself. We had reported the incident of the young Vallière's kidnapping to the Pope and had thus been called up to relay what exactly had happened so that all of us could better understand the situation.

"Louise..." Saito whispers to himself, his voice as if shell-shocked by what had happened. "It's all my fault. All because I was so careless…"

I was a bit conflicted on my feelings in regards to the Chevalier right now. On one end, I was definitely peeved at him for allowing such a thing to happen. But on the other hand, I did feel a bit of sympathy towards him. Losing a lover is definitely not something that you'd want to wish on anyone.

"I see…" the Pope sitting in front of us whispers to himself, the look of dejection on his face apparent.

The servant by his side also carried the same look, lowering his head in shame as if the whole debacle that had happened was completely his fault. "My deepest apologies." he addresses everyone in the room. The two of them seemed to be showing genuine regret for having allowed such a thing to occur, but there was something that was nagging at the back of my mind, something that made me apprehensive of these two men. Initially, I thought that it was just because of the resemblance that they bore with the Pope and Windalfr of my world. But the more I think about it, something about this two was definitely not sitting well with me. "To think that such a vile act would occur in broad daylight… and without using magic…"

My eyes narrowed upon hearing the Priest's statement. Something about what he said definitely scratched at my ever present paranoia. Could this two really have just overlooked something like this?

Instantly, many other questions started to pop into my head. From what I've heard, the church had even cast many magic detection spells all around the city. If that was the case, then why were there only two holy knights that appeared in the scene? Not that I didn't think that it was a good thing since it minimized the would-be casualties in the area. But still, I would have thought that a few dozen knights should've shown up to where we were fighting.

Something was definitely not adding up.

"This is Galia's work." I hear a soft voice from behind us, snapping me out of my brief moment of contemplation.

"Tabitha?" Saito speaks, instantly recognizing the new arrival as everyone directs their attention towards the entrance of the throne room, seeing the would-be Queen Charlotte slowly walking towards us.

"I called her." the Queen of Tristain states, answering the Chevalier's unspoken question as to why the blue-haired mage had come here. "She has a history with the Elemental Siblings whose members Sir Emiya has fought against." She directs her gaze towards me before returning it to the Princess of Gallia. "Please help us, Miss Tabitha."

Nodding her head once, she starts to speak in detail of what she knew of our adversary

"They belong to the 'Knights of the Northern Parterre' of Gallia, just as I once did."

Upon hearing this information, I immediately recognize the Order of knights that the blue-haired mage was pertaining to.

The Kingdom of Gallia by tradition names their Knight Orders after the flower beds next to which their barracks are located at the royal palace. It was the reason why the Knights of the Southern Rose Parterre, and the Knights of the Eastern Lily Parterre were named as they were. However, due to the shadow cast by the castle upon its northern side, there was no light that could cultivate any form of plant life to grow in that direction so there were no flower beds in the northern part of Gallia's Royal Castle. Thus, there are no knights associated with the northern parterre.

At least officially there wasn't.

"I've heard that there is a special order of knights in Gallia reserved to do the government's dirty work." the Captain of the Musketeer Corps relays what she had heard to her queen."

The female captain was right. Such an order did exist.

The Knights of the Northern Parterre was an order which is given directives straight from the Royal Castle which should not be traced back to the Gallian government. Things such as espionage, spying, blackmail and other acts that would never be condoned under the code of Chivalry and thus would not be accepted by other knight orders. If the Undine Knights of Tristain basked in the glow of the public eye, serving as a visible deterrent to other countries; the Knights of the Northern Parterre were the complete opposite, thriving in the shadows and unknown to most of the populace. For the most part, that order had been kept inactive upon the Queen Charlotte's ascent to the throne which is why I knew next to nothing about their members, the only one that I was familiar with having retired from their ranks as she became the county's monarch. But prior to that, from what I have been told by Captain Guiche, they were extensively used by the last King that the Queen had succeeded which could only mean one thing...

"That means the true mastermind is-." she continues before being quickly answered by the short-statured bluette.

"The King of Gallia, Joseph."

I knew it.

I grit my teeth upon hearing this. Just as I had thought, with both the incompetent King of Gallia and his servant still alive, though one or both of them should already be dead by now based on my world's timeline, certain things in this world may end up unfolding differently compared to how they transpired in mine.

"So Joseph was the one who kidnapped Louise!" Saito shouts in outrage, to which the bluette nods in affirmation.

"But if that is true…" the Queen suddenly interjects. "Gallia's borders are very close to ours, so Louise might have already crossed the border."

"Your Highness!" the Chevalier immediately slams his hands on the table. "I don't care if I have to enter Gallia by myself; I'm going to rescue Louise!"

"But you can't, Saito!" the Queen protests against his rash decision, trying to make him see reason as worry was etched in her face. I was immediately reminded of Miss Siesta's words of how the Queen was rumored to fancy the Gandalfr of this world. Seeing this kind of reaction from someone that greatly resembled my mother, I couldn't help but be annoyed. "If you do, you'll also get-."

A loud slamming sound echoes from behind us, interrupting the conversation, as a priest garbed in white robes quickly storms inside of the room.

"My deepest apologies for this disturbance," he shouts out with a trembling voice. The panicked look on the man's face was evident, denoting the importance of his reason for coming here and interrupting this gathering that the Pope himself had set up. "But there is something that I must divulge to His Holiness at once!"

"Come forward." the Pope urges him as he passes us by, not even acknowledging any of us that were present. Standing by the Pope's side he leans into his ear and begins to whisper something to him which causes the blonde seated at the throne to narrow his eyes. As he returns his attention back to us I notice a look of restlessness appearing in his usually calm face.

"I think it would be best if everyone here hears this as well." he addresses everyone in the room. "There has been a message sent by our troops patrolling the Gallian border. The Gallian fleet is encroaching on our borders…" he informs us which causes a wave of tension to spread in the room.

That was definitely not good.

"But your Holiness… Then, that means…" the Queen of Tristain speaks out, fully aware of the implications of this move by Gallia and its current monarch, King Joseph. Such an action could only mean one thing.

"It means that they may invade our lands." the Pope answers, affirming my guess to be correct as everyone in the room starts to realize the sheer magnitude of what was happening and what it may ultimately bring about.

War, bloodshed, and the death of many.

"Please excuse me, but I must go." the Pope says as he stands from his throne. "I must talk to the generals so that we may prepare to defend Aquelia."

As he walks past us, heading towards the door whilst being accompanied by his Servant and the priest, I finally break my silence.

"Your Holiness, if you don't mind, may I ask you a question?" I tell the Pope, speaking for the first time since this little gathering started. I did not glance back to look at him though so that I could hide the troubled expression that now masked my face.

"What is it, Sir Emiya?" he replies, allowing me to continue. The tone of his voice was not as welcoming as it was when we had met the first time yesterday. It was probably due to the dire news that we had just received which had caused him to be a bit irritated, but for some reason I felt that there was something else that was causing it.

"I had heard that the person who infiltrated the holy halls had disguised herself as a commoner," I began as I tried to keep my voice calm. "Yet, from what I remember, commoners have been banned from entering the Cathedral for over a millennium now. Isn't that right, Your Holiness?"

"That is true." he replies calmly to me.

"So then, how could someone that was dressed as a commoner be able to not only get past the Gates of the Cathedral but also wander around the Holy Halls without being pulled to the side or questioned?" I ask, though there was an implying tone mixed in with my question. "Of course there is a possibility that she had injured those who did try to pull her aside and question her." I turn to where the Captain of the Musketeer Corps stood. "Captain Agnes, was there any reports of injuries among the Holy Knights stationed in the Holy Halls?"

"None." she answers, her eyes starting to narrow as well as she begins to catch on to what I was trying to get to. "The last I heard. All knights that had guarded the inside of the Cathedral were accounted for."

The pope was silent. I think he too was starting to figure out where these questions were heading.

"So, a person dressed as a commoner was able to waltz right into the Holy Halls without even meeting the slightest resistance and was able to kidnap Miss Vallière. But that also brings up another question." I continued, my voice practically dripping with unspoken accusations directed at the Pope. "Why were Miss Vallière and my Master's security not prioritized?"

"The City of Aquelia is a very big place," the Pope's Servant, Sir Chesaré speaks out in defense of his master. "Though we had deployed over 300 Holy knights, we cannot possibly secure every inch of space even with that much manpower. Also, I believed that Saito and Sir Emiya were adequate enough to protect each of their masters. Or was I mistaken?"

"Thank you for your compliment." I answered back, but if he thought that he could use flattery to escape me then he was dead wrong. "But even monarchs assign at least one guard as a show of courtesy to their guest. My master and Miss Vallière, however, were given none."

"I apologize." the Pope suddenly speaks, much to the surprise of everyone here. After all, it wasn't every day that you would hear a pope asking for forgiveness from someone who looked like a mere commoner. "It is my fault. Even though Miss Vallière had declared her willingness to help me in my cause, I was not able to reward her faith in me as I failed to protect her." his voice seemed sincere enough. In fact, most people would probably start to retract their statement by now in fear that they had caused the Pope any form of anguish. "Doves should be allowed to fly freely and not be put in a cage. The reason why I had not assigned any knights to guard either Miss Vallière or Miss Westwood was because I did not want to cause them any inconvenience. I wished for them to feel as comfortable as possible during their stay here. But it seems that my arrogance has endangered their lives for which I am truly sorry."

"That is understandable." I reply before looking back at the Pope, my eyes practically telling him that I wasn't buying anything that he was saying right now. "But Miss Vallière isn't a dove though. Not only that, but she is also a Void mage as well, one of only four in existence. I would've thought that someone as 'gracious' as His Holiness would have realized this and would have acted accordingly."

"You disrespectful knave!" the newly arrived priest who had informed the Pope of Gallia's impending invasion shouts at me, probably having had enough of the disrespectful manner by which I was speaking to His Holiness. "How dare you imply that His Holiness is to blame for this?"

The pope quickly raises his right hand to stop the priest from continuing his tirade against me. "Again, it was an oversight in my end for which I regret deeply. I am at fault here. I do not deny that. Which is why I will do all that I can to rescue Miss Valliere."

"I'm glad to hear that, Your Holiness." I reply back. "But you still haven't answered my first question?"

To be truthful, this person hadn't even satisfactorily answered my second question either. 'Wanting to make them comfortable'? Using such empty rhetoric was unacceptable to me. The breach of security, the lack of guards to watch over the two void mages that were present especially after what had happened just two days ago. I just couldn't fathom how this person could overlook all of these things. There were only two ways that I could look at this. It was either this person really was that naive... or he was merely acting the part.

"...My apologies but I think that, given the current situation, I have to put your queries aside until at least after this crisis is dealt with." he answers, indirectly telling me that he would not be entertaining anymore questions from me.

I do not pursue the matter any further as I watch the Pope exit the throne room in order to prepare for what could be the start of a war between Romalia and Gallia. Inwardly though, I was fuming as I started to regret not killing this person the first time that we met.

"Master, we have to talk." I whisper to her.

"What are we going to talk about, Kiritsugu?" she asks me, wondering what I could possibly want to discuss with her at a time like this.

"I have bad feeling that the King of Gallia may not be our only enemy here?" I cryptically tell her, much to her confusion.

"What do you mean?" she questions, her confusion growing even more. I don't answer her though since I decided to wait until we were at a secure place before discussing the matter.

Alternate reality or not, I guess some things never really change.

It seems that the Pope of this world, just like the one in mine, cannot be trusted.

-(Scene Break)-

Looking out the window in front of me, I see the orange emblazoned sky stretching out through the horizon. Just out of my reinforced eyes' sight, the Gallian fleet was lying in wait, most likely readying themselves for the upcoming siege of the city. Based on what I've heard, I estimated that it would take no more than two to three hours before they had the City of Aquelia in their sights. Looking below, I could see dozens if not hundreds of people leaving their houses and flooding the streets as they start talking to one another with worry and unease plaguing their faces, a palpable tension spreading through the alleys of Aquelia. They probably were aware that something big was brewing but had no idea exactly what it was. Withholding information from the public was a basic strategy used by all governments to keep the peace, especially if the information would cause an uproar or flat out chaos. But it won't be long before the citizens start seeing the ships of the invading fleet and start figuring things out by themselves.

But at the eve of what could be the start of a war between nations, there were other things that were occupying my mind right now. Though the enemy that was quickly approaching would no doubt number in the thousands, I couldn't help but worry more about potential wolves hiding underneath sheep's clothing within our midst.

I turn to look at the people that were together with me in this closed space. Right now, I was inside one of the special guest rooms within the Pentagon Cathedral that was usually reserved for visiting royals. With me were my master, Saito, Miss Tabitha, the Queen Henrietta, and her personal guard Captain Agnes. Captain Guiche of the Undine Knights, Sir Reynald, Sir Malicorne, and Sir Gimli were also present.

Upon my request, my master had gathered all of them and after speaking to the Queen, telling her that there was an urgent matter that I had to discuss with some select individuals, she had agreed to allow us to use her room as the spot for our impromptu meeting. I had figured that the safest place that we could use inside the Cathedral where I would not have to worry about someone eavesdropping on our conversation was here since most royals usually have the rooms that they were staying in inspected thoroughly.

I strengthen my resolve. I didn't know whether they would believe what I was about to tell them, or simply dismiss it as the ramblings of an insane person, but I had already decided to go through with it nonetheless.

I had to.

Initially, after discovering the fact that I had indeed been transported to some alternate world, I had planned to simply stay at the sidelines, protecting my master and allowing the Gandalfr of this world to take center stage until such a time when I could find a way to return to my world. But after finding out that Saito was incompetent, not to mention my growing distrust of the Pope, I could no longer afford to simply stand idly by. The fact that I knew of what could and may happen had indirectly burdened me of a responsibility that I did not expect. Knowing what I knew basically meant that I could prevent the death of thousands. And as someone who had taken my father's wish as my own, to save as many people as possible, my conscience would never allow me to live this down if I were to do nothing.

So, even though I wasn't aware of what the ramifications of my revelation to them would be, I decide to go through with it. Besides, I had a very talkative sword to back up my story anyway so it wasn't like I didn't have any sort of proof to show them.

I breathe in once, calming myself, before looking all of them in the eye.

"His Holiness cannot be trusted." I tell my audience bluntly.

They stare at me, a tinge of shock swirling in their eyes though disbelief would be the most apt way to describe their faces. It takes a few more seconds for my words to sink in before one of them finally snaps at the absurdity of my claim.

"Absurd!" Captain Guiche dismisses me. He doesn't even take the time to do his trademark poses since it seems that his outrage at my statement was making him forget to do so. "For a brute to even think of accusing His Holiness of acting in ill-faith is the greatest of sins!"

"Guiche is right!" the high pitched voice of Sir Malicorne soon follows. "Besides, everyone in here knows that you dislike His Holiness for some reason! So why should we listen to you then?"

"Indeed." I tell them, admitting that their accusations of me were in fact true. Though by the look of surprise in their faces, it seems that none of them had expected me to own up to it so readily. "I am not fond of the Pope or the Church itself."

"H-H-Heretic!" Sir Gimli shouts at me. Even back in my world, his hot-headedness would get the best of him when plunged into certain situations.

I survey the reactions of the people in the room. The Undine Knights were having a hard time containing their outrage towards me as I see their hands itching to grab their wands. I had somewhat expected that kind of reaction. Most of the people of this world, whether Nobles or commoners, were very devoted to the Brimiric faith. And for them to hear someone bad mouthing the person who is considered to be the embodiment of the Church's power would definitely not sit well with them. Saito seemed indifferent to the revelation of my inherent dislike of the Pope and the Church. I guess having come from a different world, he probably didn't care much for the religion of this one. The two royals with us and Captain Agnes, though they too expressed a bit of apprehension to what I had said, were less antagonistic towards me. It seemed that, unlike the Undine Knights, they were more open to hearing what I had to say and then judge my honesty afterwards. I had expected as much from them since all three women were not naive enough to completely put their trust in the Pope and blindly follow him. Even when I was bombarding His Holiness with question after question, I could already feel that they too were slowly realizing the discrepancies that I was pointing out. My master was also silent, but unlike the others there was no sign of apprehension or suspicion emanating from her. It seemed she was resolved to fully listen to what I had to say and then make her judgments later.

Inwardly, I was happy. I had a feeling that if there was only one person in this room that would end up believing what I was about to elaborate on, it would probably be her.

Before the start of this meeting, I had asked her a question. The question being that if I were to tell her something so outrageous, so improbable and if I were to insist that it were true, would she believe me? At first, I thought that she would skirt around the question, saying things like: 'it depends' or 'I'll have to hear it first'. But with a smile filled with confidence in me, her Servant, she answered 'yes' without the slightest hint of hesitation. I was a bit conflicted with her reaction since I thought that being able to easily trust people was a bad trait to have. But in this situation I was thankful that she had it.

"Sir Emiya, what exactly has brought you to this conclusion?" the Queen of Tristain asks me directly. Though I could sense that she wasn't very keen to my claims, it seems that she had decided that she would at least humor me a bit and listen to my reasoning.

"Your Highness!" Captain Guiche quickly interrupts the Queen, something that he would've never done under normal circumstances. "You don't actually believe this brute, do you?"

The Queen glances over to the Captain of the Undine Knights, her sapphire blue eyes resembling a pair of daggers - just like my mother's - which causes the blonde to flinch. Though not a fighter, my mother possessed just as much steel as any person that I've ever met. The Duchess told me that it was one of the qualities that my father admired about her. And from the looks of things, it seems that the same can be said for this world's version of the Queen of Tristain.

"I will hear what he has to say first, only after that shall I decide whether to believe him or not." she tells the Captain, conviction laced in her voice, before turning her gaze back to me. "Well then, Sir Emiya, would you care to elaborate on how you arrived to that conclusion?"

"I'm sure that Your Highness has already noticed it herself, the lack of concern coming from His Holiness even after the theft that had happened just two days ago." I point out to her. "Also, the discrepancies that I brought up earlier, the holes in the security, and the lack of safety nets surrounding my Master and Miss Vallière I feel is rather suspicious."

"Though I do recognize the points that you have brought up, I do not feel that these things are enough to warrant the level of suspicion that you have for His Holiness." she replies.

I try to hide the nostalgic smile that was creeping into my lips upon hearing her answer. For a second I was reminded of a childhood memory that I had almost forgotten, that memory being the one when I was convincing my mother to allow me to be trained in combat by Auntie Agnes though I was only seven years old. But this was not the time to reminisce about such things. Putting this feelings of nostalgia aside, I reply to the Queen.

"You are correct, Your Highness." I tell her, conceding to what she had said. She was right. All the things that I had brought up was simply conjecture for the most part. I also held a petty bias against the Pope, having already admitted to that earlier, so I wasn't actually a fountain of objectivity either. Then again, I pretty much knew that convincing them to go against His Holiness was quite the long shot to begin with. The Pope is widely considered as a Holy figure by the vast majority of people in the continent. It was no surprise that they would be unwilling to believe anything that would tarnish their pure image of him. But that wasn't my main goal here. "I am aware that the things that I have mentioned cannot actually be considered as substantial evidence to prove my claims against His Holiness. After all, the burden of proof lies not with the accused but with the accuser. But even knowing that, I wish to bring them up nonetheless. My main intention is not to turn you against His Holiness but to simply persuade the people here to always keep their guard up."

If I could somehow get them to at least be weary of the Pope then that was good enough for me.

"Sir Emiya, earlier you said that you were not fond of either the Church or His Holiness." she resumes her questioning of me. "Could you tell me why that is?"

As expected of the Queen. She was trying to decipher my motives now. It was probably the only way that she would be able to determine whether she should heed my warning or simply dismiss it as the ravings of a spite-filled man.

I was silent. I could feel the intensity of her stare focused on me. For a brief moment I wondered if I could still back out, if I could maybe pass off a lie to them so that I wouldn't have to reveal my secret. But I knew that I was already at the point of no return. I had already decided to reveal everything to my master so backing out now would be a show of cowardice on my part. Also, having the Queen here staring me down with those familiar dagger-like eyes of hers was pretty much a death sentence for me. As I had said before, if there was one person in the world who I could never bring myself to lie to, it was definitely my mother. And, unfortunately for me, it seems that I could not help but extend the same courtesy to this world's version of her as well.

Gathering my resolve once more, I answer her. "...Because both the Pope and the Church were the main perpetrators of my father's death. Not to mention, the demise of thousands of innocents."

An audible gasp echoes inside the room, though the Queen of Tristain's face remained as stoic as ever.

"L-Ludicrous!" Captain Guiche quickly points at me with his finger. "How dare you accuse His Holiness of committing such a crime!"

"Do you have any proof of this?" the Queen says, asking for any sort of evidence that I could show them to support my accusation.

"If you're referring to tangible proof, Your Highness, I have nothing to show you." I admit which earns me a sneer from the blonde captain of the Undine Knights. "I was only told this fact by one of my mentors of the sword."

With a flourish, the blonde captain waves the rose wand in his hand dismissively at my direction as he begins to mock me. "By all means, would you care to tell us the identity of this charlatan who you consider as your mentor."

A knowing grin crosses my lips. "Actually, you could say that he's present in this very room right now." I tell him, hiding the amusement that I was getting because of this ironic situation.

Everyone in the room starts to look around, as if trying to find some invisible phantom hiding behind the tapestries or at the other side of the wall. After a few seconds of futile searching, Captain Guiche addresses me again.

"Are you trying to make a fool out of us!" he shouts at me, angered by my perceived mockery of them. "There is no one here. If this so called mentor of yours really does exist, I demand that you tell us who he is then!"

I smile at him, calmly giving way to his demand. "My mentor's name is Captain Guiche de Grammont, leader of the Undine Knights."

A full minute of silence reigns over everyone in the room as my words slowly sink in. After a while, Captain Guiche starts to snicker and before long he explodes in a burst of laughter as he bends over, both his hands covering his stomach.

After finally being able to get a hold of himself, he looks at me with derision on his face. "So, we have a jester in our midst do we? Please, do continue. I think Her Majesty would appreciate a good laugh after all the bad news that we've gotten."

I temporarily dismiss him for the meantime, sensing that I wouldn't be able to persuade him as of the moment, I then turn my attention to my Master.

"Do you remember yesterday when you had asked me where I came from?"

She nods.

"Forgive me but I wasn't completely honest with you when I answered that question, Master." I tell her. "Yes, I did come from Tristain." Upon hearing this, I could see both the Captains that were currently present raise their eyebrow at me. "But the Tristain where I came from is not the same Tristain of this world."

"...This world?" my Master quickly takes note of that particular phrase. "What do you mean, Kiritsugu?"

"The truth is, like Saito, I too came from another world." the lot of them were pretty calm even after hearing this part of my revelation, most likely because it wasn't new to them since Saito himself had come from another world. But I knew that their composure wasn't going to last long. "But my world, unlike his, is very similar to this one. Same places, same names," my eyes wander around, looking at everyone in the room. "…same people."

"U-Unbelievable!" I hear the high-pitched voice of Sir Malicorne comment in disbelief. I pay his reaction no mind though as I continue on with my explanation.

"From what I've noticed, there really are only two main differences that I can see with my world and this one." I raise my right hand and began ticking one of my fingers up. "The first one is that my world's timeline seems to be over two decades ahead of this one. So I guess in a way, you could say that I'm some kind of a time traveler although not really."

I could see their eyes widening like huge saucers as they comprehended what I had just told them. The Blonde Captain himself was rendered speechless (which was quite an achievement for me) as his mouth was left hanging open. If it wasn't for the serious mood that had made the air in the room so heavy with tension, I probably would be laughing my ass of right now.

"Sir Emiya, who exactly was your father?" the Queen who was the first to be able to recompose herself, asks me. Assuming that I was telling the truth, she was probably curios as to what kind of person my father was to have warranted the wrath of the Pope and the Church of Brimir. I, myself, was wondering what her reaction would be if she were to ever find out that this person was the same one that her counterpart in my world had ended up falling in love and bearing a child with.

"My father... was the Servant of the Duchess of Emptiness, Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière. The legendary Gandalfr."

A moment of silence reigns over all of them before one of them is finally able to say anything.

"Your father was the Gandalfr!" Saito says in utter shock. "Then... doesn't that mean that I'm your-!"

"Fortunately for me, no." I quickly correct him. The thought of this guy being my father was pretty insulting to me, so I made sure that such a misunderstanding will not happen. "And that is the second thing that I noticed as being the difference between my world and this one."

"Wait, what are you trying to say?" he asks. Seriously, either this guy was really slow when it comes to logical thinking or he was just not willing to understand what I was saying. The latter was probably a better explanation but it wouldn't actually surprise me if it ended up being the former.

"In her second year of formal education in the prestigious Tristain Magic Academy, the infamous Duchess of Emptiness, Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière, who at that time was called the 'Zero' for her then perceived incompetence in magic, summoned a man by the name of Shirou Emiya who would later end up becoming (arguably) the most legendary figure in the modern history of Tristain." I tell them, repeating almost word for word one of the lectures that Miss Eléonore had given me in one of my many history lessons with her. "He would later be dubbed with the title of 'The King of Swords' by his enemies due to his great proficiency in swordsmanship and based on a rumor spread by the remnants of the Albion army where it was said that he intentionally maimed those whom he deemed unworthy of wielding a blade in his presence."

"Preposterous!" Captain Guiche quickly sounds off. "Do you really think that we would believe such an obvious lie like that!"

I then turn my gaze towards the Undine Knights. "He was also named as the Vice-Captain of the famous Order of Undine Knights, considered as one of, if not _the_ strongest Knight Order in my world." I tell them which immediately causes all four mages to freeze on the spot. I guess hearing about the possibility of their order (which I think they treated more like a boy's club) becoming one of the elite fighting forces of the continent was quite the sobering thought for them since they suddenly turned mute. "My father and Captain Guiche de Gramont were also close friends. In fact, the Captain once told me that had it not been for my father's tutelage and inspiration, he probably would've never reached square class or be as good of a swordsman as he was."

"S-Square class..!" the Captain blurts out, a mixture of disbelief, shock, and euphoria on his face. "I became a square class mage!" he says to himself as he looks at his trembling hands. I guess the thought of him being able to reach the highest level in terms of Halkegenian magecraft was both utterly dumbfounding yet too amazing for him not to want to believe.

"He was also very good friends with both the Captain of the Musketeer Corps, Agnès Chevalier de Milan, and the Queen of Gallia, Charlotte Helene Orléans De Gallia." I continued as I switched my gaze towards Miss Tabitha and the other captain in the room, Miss Agnes. The female swordsman, as I had expected, barely reacted to this information. If she was surprised at all upon hearing it, she barely showed it with the only emotive expression that I could see from her being the rise of one of her eyebrows. The Gallian royal, however, was the complete opposite. I could see her eyes widen even more, shock discernible in her face as her body looked somewhat rigid. For someone like her who rarely (if ever) showed any sign of emotion, this was as emotive of an expression as I had ever seen from her.

I then slowly turn my head towards the Queen of Tristain. There was an expectant look on her face, like she wanted to know what her relationship with my father was. I was unable to speak though as I inwardly debated whether I should reveal anything further. Looking at this woman who (given the right circumstances) could've been my mother was very disconcerting for me. I mean, how would she react if she were to find out that the person standing before her right now was someone who could've possibly been her son? What would she think of the way that I was raised? What would her reaction be knowing that someone whom she had loved in another world had died, leaving her as a widow? Would she end up pining for that person even though he was not here? Would I be causing her grief by telling her about this? I just don't-."

"You're lying..." Saito speaks, snapping me back to reality. I look at the black-haired Chevalier, his head low while gritting his teeth as I see his whole body shaking. "You're lying!" he repeats, shouting at me this time. "I was the one who Louise summoned. She even summoned me a second time so there's no way Louise would've summoned someone else!"

I look at him sternly. He was like a petulant child throwing a tantrum after hearing something that he didn't like.

"My father was summoned by the Duchess no less than five times." I inform him which quickly sobers his anger. "If anyone has the right to be surprised as to who ended up being summoned, it should be me."

The sadistic part of my psyche cheered upon seeing the look of dejection surfacing on his face. Prior to this, he probably believed in trifling things such as love and destiny, that he had been summoned because it was he who was supposed to be summoned. A part of me did too. Unfortunately for us, the second magic was not a fan of such romantic drivel. It was only by chance that he was chosen.

It didn't have to be him.

It could've been anyone.

"Sir Emiya, do you have any sort of proof that can support your claim?" the Queen Henrietta suddenly asks. I guess it couldn't be helped since from the start of this little gathering, all that I've been giving them were unsubstantiated claims and conjectures. But luckily for me, I did have proof for this one. A very talkative proof at that.

I sighed one more time. "Uncle Derf, it's your turn now."

The sword stowed behind Saito's back partially unsheathes itself. "Oi! Who do you think you're calling 'Uncle', Sword Boy-!"

"He was talking to me, you idiot!"

Everyone's gaze quickly turn towards the corner of the room where I had placed the other sentient blade against the wall, it's quillon moving in a familiar manner that greatly resembled a mouth. If they were all initially doubtful about what I had told them earlier, then I'm pretty sure that seeing another Derflinger in their midst pretty much erased that. How would I know? Well, the fact that all of their mouths were left hanging open was quite the clear giveaway. By the root, even the other Derflinger's quillon was left hanging as it was also rendered speechless (yet another great achievement that I have accomplished within the span of a couple of minutes).

"What's up with you people!" my Uncle Derf says, seemingly annoyed by the lack of verbal responses from his audience. "Cat got your tongue? Say something will you!"

"... Do I really sound like that?" the other Derflinger comments. Now where have I heard that one before. "I never thought that my voice sounded so annoying. It's like an old man trying to speak while being strangled to death!" Upon hearing this, I start rubbing my forehead to ease the incoming migraine that was surely about to arrive very soon.

"Oi, that's my line!" my Uncle Derf retaliates. "And you're not one to talk either since your voice is worse than the sound of fingernails scraping a chalkboard, you rusted piece of metal."

"Who're you calling a rusted piece of metal, you discount bin sword!"

"What! I'll have you know that my partner made sure to tip my salesman good when he bought me, so there! Besides, I don't want to hear anything from a novice like you!"

"Who're you calling a novice! I've been used in at least 4,687 battles!"

"Hah! That's nothing! I've been used in 4,840 battles! Come at me, novice!"

"Why you! I bet I can tell better dirty jokes than you can!"

"You Wish! Try and top this. There were three knights that spent a night in a one bedroom - mmghmphs!" I forcefully sheathe my Uncle back to his scabbard, having decided to stop the two swords' squabble while still at its early stages. I also had no particular interest in finding out what happened with the three knights.

"Uncle Derf, I think you're missing the point of me revealing you to them." I remind the blade in my hand.

"Alright already!" my Uncle concedes. "Aye, I get it now. So stop trying to shove me back inside my scabbard." After giving him a slight nod, I allow the Sentient blade to talk freely again. "Yeah! Everything that this kid told you is pretty much all true. My partner from the world where we came from was different. Heh, I bet my partner can kick your partner's - mmmhgphs!" I immediately shove the blade back inside his scabbard again, not wanting to hear my Uncle sound like some middle-aged noble woman comparing her husband against her neighbor's. It's not like I didn't agree with him either, it's just that this was not the right time and place for it.

My eyes survey the group once again, as most of them continued to struggle in not only comprehending but also believing what I had just told them. Only my master's expression was left unchanged. I guess she kept to her promise after all. She really did believe me no matter what. I turn my attention towards the Chevalier again, his earlier expression of dejection now mixed in with bits of depression. The sadistic part of me practically savored every detail of his image. Though I knew it was wrong, I really just couldn't help myself.

"Sir Emiya," I hear the Queen speak again, interrupting me from my inner reverie. "Why did you tell us this?"

"As I told you earlier, Your Highness, I merely wish to have all those who are present in this room to always have their guard up." I reply. "The Pope of my world was a shrewd tactician. He was even able to out maneuver my world's version of Her Highness. It was also because of him that the lives of many innocent people were lost. And though I cannot condemn His Holiness for things that he has yet to even do. That doesn't mean that we should simply stand idly by and give him the opportunity."

"I see. I shall keep your warning in mind then." the Queen answers me. "Sir Emiya, you have my gratitude."

"Well then, would it be possible to ask Your Highness to express her gratitude by assigning her personal knights to guard my master for just one night?" I put out my request to her.

"That can be arranged." she replies. "Though if you don't mind me asking the reason for such a request?"

I bow slightly to her as a sign of thanks for granting my request before giving away my reasoning. "It is just because I will have something very important to do tonight so I will not be present to protect her."

"Kiritsugu, where are you going?" my master speaks for the first time.

"I will be joining the Romalian troops in trying to stop King Joseph and the Gallian fleet." I tell her.

"B-But why?"

"As I've told you, Master. My father was the legendary Gandalfr. One of his most famous achievements was his victory over the incompetent King Joseph and his Servant, Sheffield. In fact, I don't remember the Gallian fleet ever trying to invade Romalia since he had probably defeated King Joseph before he could do so." I spare Saito another look of disdain after saying this as the Chevalier lowers his head in shame. I knew that what I had just said was a very cheap shot at his already shattered sense of self-worth. But I still wanted him to realize that because of his incompetence - his weakness - the lives of many were now at risk. I then divert my gaze back to my master again. "As his son, I feel that it is my responsibility to carry out his will since he is not here to do so."

"Why are you going by yourself then?" she queries, a hint of worry in her voice. I guess she was not very fond of the idea of me going by myself.

"It's okay, Master." I reassure her. "I actually work better alone compared to when I'm in a group since I don't have to constantly worry about my comrades. So," I slowly walk over to where she was standing as both my hands hold onto the edge of her shoulders. "Until I come back, please keep yourself safe." I smile at her while saying this as I notice how she was starting to get teary-eyed. My master really was quite the sympathetic person, a trait of hers that I both hated and liked at the same time.

With one final bow to her, I take my leave as I exit the room.

Outside of the Cathedral, the impending clash of swords and battle awaited me.

-(Scene Break)-

Looking up at the sky, I see dozens of ships afloat in the air as I neared the port of Romalia. After leaving the Cathedral and making my way through the crowded streets of Aquelia, I was fortunate enough to be able to borrow a horse from a kind old man who was managing a nearby stable. Expressing my gratitude, I immediately informed him of the danger that was approaching, advising him to take shelter in a secure location. As I urged my borrowed horse to hasten in its running, I begin to plan on how I would be able to board one of the Romalian ships without being noticed by its crew. It's not like I haven't experienced being a stowaway before (the fair to ride an airship was pretty root-be-damned expensive so I had to think of other 'ways' to board them), but this one would be a bit different since instead of tourist, the whole deck would most likely be littered with knights. And I really doubt that they would allow me to ride with them even though my main intention was to help out in the coming battle.

As I was formulating my plans, I feel a sudden gust of wind surge from behind me as a large shadow figure passes me by. My horse starts to grow restless as it stops its advance and begins to panic in fear. I had to quickly calm it down lest I be thrown onto the ground. As I get off my horse's saddle, my ears pick up a high pitched sound growing louder by the second.

"Kkkkkkkkkyyyyyyyuuuuuuuuu-!"

That sound was really familiar. Now where have I heard it before?

"-uuuuuiiiiiii!"

Reinforcing my sight, I look ahead to see what exactly was emitting the familiar sound. Immediately, I see a blur of blue heading straight for me. The thing was very large... and very scaly.

"...Root damn it." I curse my fate as I reinforce my body as much as I can to prepare for the inevitable. In an instant, I feel the crushing weight of dragon muscle and fat as it smashes right into me, pushing me down against the dirt floor. I lay there on the ground, my aching body motionless. "...Ouch." Even with reinforcement, having 20 tonnes of solid blue dragon coming straight for you at ungodly speeds was still pretty painful.

"Little Kerry, Big Sister Irukukuu missed you soooo much, Kyui!" the blue dragon says while affectionately rubbing her very large head against my chest.

"Err... I missed you to, Big Sis." I reply back, though at the back of my aching head I was pretty sure that it hasn't even been a full 24 hours since the last time that we saw each other. As I start to gather my bearings, shaking my head to get my senses back in order, I see the image of a blonde-haired fairy riding atop the blue rhyme dragon.

"Kiritsugu, are you okay?" the fairy asks, worried about my overall well-being.

"Master, is that you?" I ask as my eyes start to recognize the figure riding behind Big Sister Irukukuu. "What are you doing here? Wait, why are you with Big Sister Irukukuu?"

As if taking that question of mine as their cue, I see two other figures appear from behind the dragon. One was the blue haired master of Big Sister Irukukuu, Miss Tabitha; the other was Saito. I stared at the black-haired Chevalier inquisitively. Now I fully understood why Miss Tabitha was here since I doubt that she would let my master borrow her familiar without her consent. But what reason could Saito possibly have in coming here?

As my master slides off the back of the Blue Dragon whose head rubbing was starting to make me a bit uncomfortable, she quickly holds out her hand as she helps me pull myself up. But instead of thanking her, I immediately started to scold her for not listening to me.

"Master, didn't I tell you to stay in the Cathedral with Her Highness? This is not the time to be stubborn."

"I know that," she replies though I had a feeling that she wasn't going to listen to my remonstrations of her. "But I can't let you go by yourself."

"Master, with all due respect, but having you go with me will only make things harder than they should be." I reasoned. "Just go back to the Cathedral. You'll be safer there."

"Kiritsugu, I remember how you once referred to this contract of ours as a partnership." she mentions to me, her eyes reminding me of when she had given me her first true order. "Well, if that's the case then shouldn't a partnership go both ways?"

Well, she did have a point. But our situation was a little different. The Duchess could pull her own weight and hold her ground when it came to fighting (not to mention she was pretty powerful in her own right) so she was actually an asset and not a liability to my father in battle. On the other hand, I very much doubt that my master was even versed in the basics of combat.

She lowers her head as I notice her hands clutching the sides of her priestess robes tightly. "I know that I'm weak and useless. I don't even have the slightest idea of what it means to be a master. I'll probably end up being just a burden to you even if I don't mean to." She then lifts her head and stares straight back at me. Resolve shining in her eyes. "But I still want to help as much as I can! I don't want to simply let my Servant do everything while I'm cowering at the corner! I don't want to be weak or useless anymore!"

"Master."

Her body starts to shake after saying this as I see small drops of tears beginning to trace her cheeks. "I'm sorry... I'm really sorry for being so stubborn."

Letting out a sigh, I place my hand on top of her head. "Master, didn't I tell you to stop saying sorry all the time." I tell her as I try to calm her down.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, Kiritsugu." she apologizes again to me as she starts wiping away her tears with the back of her hands like a child.

"It's fine, Master." I smiled as I slightly comb her golden locks with my fingers. "Besides, I'm not really the best person to reprimand you since I'm pretty stubborn myself."

"...You're not angry?"

"I will be if you keep apologizing." I scold her teasingly. "You're quite the troublesome person when you're like that, Master."

Under normal circumstances, I would have never allowed her to join me in battle. And, to be honest, I still think that this was a very bad idea. But to simply disregard her resolve and just flat-out refuse her help would be unfair to her. Yes, she was an innocent. And yes, I wanted to preserve that innocence if possible. But it was time for me to stop prolonging the inevitable. This girl was a Master now. Many more trials will definitely come and if I don't at least show her what awaited us in the future, then I would be doing her a disservice. Inwardly, I apologized to my father. In the end, it was I who ended up going against his wish of sparing this girl from the harsh reality of the battlefield.

After that brief exchange between the two of us, my expression turns serious again as both my hands take hold of her shoulders. "Master, if following me into battle is what you've decided then that's fine. But please promise me one thing."

She nods, her expression just as serious as my own.

"Promise me that you will follow everything that I tell you. If I tell you to run, then you will run and never look back. If I tell you to leave me behind, then you will not argue with me. And if you ever see that I'm in a bad situation, then you will immediately retreat and not come back to help. Is that understood?"

"...Yes."

After nodding my head in approval, I turn my attention towards the blue-haired mage and her familiar.

"Umm... If you don't mind me asking, why are you here?" I ask Miss Tabitha.

"Sylphid." she answers me in one word which confuses me a bit. What exactly did Big Sister Irukukuu have to do with this? I didn't have to ask myself long though since Big Sister Irukukuu was more than happy to elaborate on her master's answer.

"Kyui! When Irukukuu heard that little Kerry was in trouble, Irukukuu flew as fast as she can to catch up to Little Kerry. After all, Irukukuu is Little Kerry's Big Sister now so Irukukuu will do everything that Irukukuu can to help her little brother. Kyui!" the Dragon babbles. It was a good thing that there wasn't anyone besides the four of us in the area since talking Dragon's weren't exactly the norm here (or anywhere for that matter).

"Uhm, okay... Thanks, I guess?" I reply though I could just barely understand what she said. This earns me another round of head rubbing which almost nudges me down to the floor.

"Irukukuu is a good Big Sister. Right, Little Kerry?"

I sighed again before smiling at the Dragon. "Yup, Big Sis is the best." I tell her as I start to scratch the ridges of her eyelids with my fingers (another skill that I think my father had also passed on to me) much to the delight of the scaly reptile who started emitting random "Kyui" sounds once again as her body slumps down to the floor as if melting on the spot.

I guess having a Dragon at your side couldn't possibly hurt (at least not any more than it has already).

I then glare at the Black-haired chevalier with them.

"And you? What's your excuse for coming here?" I ask him coldly.

"I'm going with you to save Louise." he answers me.

"You've already failed in your duties. Not to mention this whole fiasco was your fault in the first place." I tell him off, not hiding my dislike towards him.

"That's right. This is my fault, so I'm going to take responsibility for this."

"So you're going to act like a Servant now." I chide him.

"...I'm not a Servant." he replies back to me which causes one of my eyebrows to rise. "After hearing about your father, I don't think that I deserve such a title." He then looks at me with an expression filled with great purpose and resolve. "But I am a familiar; Louise the Zero's familiar. And because of that I'm going to do everything in my power to save her, even if it means sacrificing my own life!"

I stare him down, the intensity of my gaze testing the strength of the steel that he was showing me right now. To his credit, he doesn't back down from me. He doesn't blink nor flinch. This person was no doubt still a boy at heart, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't grow up to be a man one day.

I sighed. "Fine. Just don't blame me if you get killed though. But putting that aside," I stare at the port not far from where we were, I could just see the last two ships that we're getting ready to depart. "It's going to be hard for everyone here to board one of the ships."

"Why can't we all just ride on Miss Tabitha's familiar?" my Master asks.

"It's not like we can't," I reply. "But having Big Sis carrying all four of us would reduce her maneuverability in the air. That could be a problem if the Gallian fleet starts firing at us in all directions."

Trying to stowaway by myself was not the easiest of task to begin with. But trying to sneak in four people plus a very large dragon was going to be next to impossible. We could have Big Sis fly close to the ship that we were boarding on but by doing so we were running the risk of the fleet mistaking her as an enemy unit. She could transform herself into a human but having five people trying to sneak inside the ship presented its own challenges.

"Would you like me to help you then?" I hear someone call out as I feel another sudden gust of wind surge from above us. As I lift my head to see what was causing this. I see a white dragon hovering in the air.

"Julio!" Saito shouts upon recognizing the person riding the flying beast.

"For what purpose have you come here, Sir Chesaré?" I question him, my tone of voice a clear giveaway that I was not delighted to see him.

"I merely wish to help my comrades. Also, my partner seems to have taken quite a liking to you, Sir Emiya." he tells me this, that irritating smile of his ever present on his face, as he pats his Dragon's head which causes it to trill at me. For a split second, I was tempted to trace a weapon and throw it at him to wipe the smug look that he had clean off.

I suddenly feel Big Sister Irukukuu's reptilian body encircling me as she glares at the white Dragon in the sky. "Little Kerry is Irukukuu's little brother! Only Irukukuu gets to pet him. Right, little Kerry?"

Needless to say, I was pretty much out of my depth here. "Uh, sure Big Sis. Whatever you say." I assure the seemingly insecure beast as she starts rubbing her head against my chest again while occasionally glaring at the white Dragon whom I think she considers a threat to my affection. Seriously, a jealous Dragon? Now I've seen everything.

"It seems that you're quite popular in your own right, Sir Emiya." he comments as he reveled upon seeing me in my plight. I, however, did not humor him though. "I have already arranged for one of the remaining ships to take you aboard. It's captain has been informed of your arrival and is just waiting for you before it departs."

I stare at the Romalian priest. It was a good thing that we wouldn't have to worry about our transportation. But for what reason would he have in trying to help us. I've pretty much insulted his master quite a few times already so I would've thought that helping me would be the last thing on his mind.

"You didn't have to do this, Julio." Saito informs the priest though I could detect a hint of gratefulness in his voice.

"It's perfectly fine, Saito." he assures the Chevalier. "You've already declined my help once, so I hope that you will not shame me by declining it a second time."

"You have my thanks, Sir Chesaré." I express my gratitude to the priest though my voice still carried traces of doubt in regards to his true intentions.

"It was a pleasure to be of service." Sir Chesaré tells us before urging the white Dragon to depart towards the direction of the Cathedral. "I wish you all the best of luck."

My eyes follow their figure as they sped off. I was indeed thankful for his intervention since it made everything much easier for me.

But that didn't change the fact that he could very well become my enemy the next time that we met.

-(Scene Break)-

The once orange sky had turned a dark violet now, the sun having finally set as the twin moons took its place. The night air was cold, making the hairs on the back of my hand stand on end. It was a pretty peaceful night overall. In fact, it was so peaceful you'd never guess that the same silence would later be shattered by the sound of cannons, fire, and magic..

I was alone in the upper deck as most of the holy knights were preparing their dragons for the upcoming clash. My master, and our other two companions (plus human disguised Dragon) were currently inside the bridge of the ship. The Captain, who looked like someone who had gone through his fair share of wars, was not as welcoming as we would've have hoped. You would think that having two Chevaliers with us along with the endorsement of Sir Chesaré would at least earn us a bit of hospitality. But I guess I was being a little too optimistic. I think that the Captain, for the most part, regarded us as simply a bunch of kids that he had been ordered to babysit. And with a war brewing, taking care of a group of children was the last thing that he would like to worry about so I could sympathize with him a little bit.

As I sat on the wooden floor, my back leaning against the side rails of the airship, I close my eyes as I start to breathe in and out. Breathing and walking techniques were something that the Duchess had taught me back when I was still young. She said that doing them may improve my ability to interfere with the natural order (whatever in the root that meant), but most of the time I would simply do this to calm myself.

To be perfectly honest, I was slightly nervous. This was the first large scale battle that I would be participating in. Though I've fought in many battles, unlike this one they were usually more private affairs as they were either one-on-one fights or mini skirmishes involving one to two dozen people at the most. I guess it was only natural for me to feel this kind of uneasiness then.

I had once heard from the Duchess that, prior to his summoning, my father's first foray in the battlefield came during the latter part of his adolescent years when he participated in something called 'The Holy Grail War'. From what she had told me, my father had faced and escaped death many times during that 'war' which was all the more impressive seeing that he had no formal training in combat at that time. I wonder if he felt this same level of tension that I was feeling right now and how he dealt with it all.

"Kiritsugu?" I hear a voice call out to me and in response I open my eyes to see who my visitor was.

"...Master." I whisper as I recognize the blonde half-elf who was standing in front of my sitting figure. "I thought you said that you were going to rest for a bit? Is something wrong?"

The half-elf fervently shakes her head. "No. Nothing's wrong. It's... It's just that..." she seemed to be trying to find the proper word to describe what she was feeling right now though I did have a slight idea of what might be bothering her at this time. Finally, as if succumbing to defeat, she takes a seat by my side, both her hands hugging her knees as she reveals what exactly was bothering her. "...It's just that I'm really nervous. This is going to be the first time that I'm going to go into a battle so I can't help but feel a bit scared."

"That's nothing to be ashamed of, Master." I reassure her. "Everyone at some point in their life has felt fear. Only fools would deny that."

"Have you ever been scared before, Kiritsugu?" my master asks.

"I've been scared out of my wits hundreds of times before." I shamelessly admit to my master, which causes her eyes to widen in surprise. I guess she thought that I was above feeling such emotions like fear. "Most of those times came whenever I messed up in front of my teacher. She was a pretty scary person. In fact, I'd rather face an entire army by myself than make her angry." I visibly shivered while telling her this which causes her to smile nervously at me.

"Her? So your teacher was a girl?" she inquires further about my teacher's gender to which I nod in reply. I'm guessing that gender bias against females was still quite prevalent in this world's timeline compared to mine. "Who is she then? I just can't imagine someone so scary that you would be this afraid of her."

I began to scratch the side of my cheek with my finger as I reveal the identity of the person whom I feared the most in my world. "Well, we're on our way to save this world's version of her right now so..."

"Wait, are you saying that Louise is your teacher?" my master asks me for confirmation, utter shock visible in her face.

I could only nod in response as I tried to stop myself from laughing. Looking at it in a different perspective, the situation that I was in right now was both ironic and funny since it was usually the Duchess who tended to pull my ass out of the fire so it was weird that our roles were now reversed.

"I-I just can't believe it." my master says, still in disbelief. To think that after everything that I had revealed to her today that it was this particular subject that she found hard to believe. "I know that Louise can be a bit scary. But for her to end up being so scary that she could even frighten you, Kiritsugu?"

"In my defense, Master, the Louise Vallière of my world grew up to be a very famous mage whose powers are enough to scare entire nations. I think it's perfectly understandable for me to be afraid of her in this case."

"Could you tell me more about the Louise of your world then?" she requested, to which I gladly obliged. So for the next couple of minutes I tell her of the legends regarding the youngest of the Vallière sisters who grew up to become the infamous 'Duchess of Emptiness'. It felt a bit weird telling someone about the Duchess since almost everyone in my world was aware of her.

"Wow! So Louise was actually able to make a mountain disappear." my master comments like a child being shown magic for the first time. I think she's starting to see why I was so afraid of the Duchess.

"Only a portion of it. The rumors just embellished the whole thing to such a ridiculous degree that it became an entire mountain, but still..."

"So Louise turned into such an amazing person." my master says dreamily as if trying to comprehend the existence of such an individual. "How about me, Kiritsugu? What was I like in your world?"

"Well, about that..." I start to rub the back of my head. "The Tiffania of my world ended up staying in her orphanage." I reveal to her which causes the excitement in her eyes to fade almost instantly. "My father though that it would be for your own good if you stayed in Westwood where you wouldn't find yourself being used by politicians or other power-hungry persons."

Even with my feeble attempt at salvaging the situation, my master still looked very down on herself. I guess after contrasting how both her and her friend had turned out in my world, I think that there's a chance that she was feeling a bit jealous.

"Master, if you're thinking that you were useless to my father then you couldn't be more wrong." I tell her. Upon hearing this, I quickly notice her ears perking up a bit. "In the battle of Saxe-Gotha, my father incurred many grave wounds which would've been fatal under normal circumstances even to someone like him. Do you know how he was able to survive such wounds?"

My master gently shakes her head though I could see that she was attentively listening to me now.

"It was all thanks to a very kind fairy who was brave enough to treat a wounded swordsman without the slightest care for her own safety."

"Fairy?" she tilts her head to the side, no doubt wondering about who exactly I was referring to.

"I was actually heading to her place before I was summoned here to both talk about my father and to thank her for saving his life. But since my travel plans have been delayed, I think that thanking this world's version of her will have to do." I then turn my gaze towards her. And with a smile, I slightly bow my head. "Thank you for saving my father."

Technically speaking, everything that I had just said was nothing more than mere theatrics. She and the fairy of Westwood, though they bore a great resemblance to each other, was not the same person much like everyone in this world was not the same as the ones in mine. But even though that was the case, seeing her spirits lifted made it worth the trouble. And besides, when I thanked her I did put my heart into it.

"Um...Your welcome, I guess?" she replies back while trying to stifle her mirth as she too plays along with me.

We stay as we were for a while, both of us trying not to laugh out loud and cause a raucous in the bridge. We were very much like two children playing a game whose rules only we knew about.

"You really like your father don't you, Kiritsugu." she comments at me nonchalantly.

"What makes you say that, Master?" I ask her, not immediately admitting to how right she actually was.

"It's just that I can feel a sense of pride coming from you every time you talk about him."

I smile at her answer. I guess she was pretty observant, though I didn't really try to hide my feelings in regards to my father.

"Yes, I'm very proud of who my father was." I admit to her. "He was a great man, a good friend, and a loyal Servant."

"Is that the reason why you're so angry at Saito?" she questions further which quickly catches me by surprise.

I guess my master really was that observant.

"...Yes." I reply truthfully, a bit of bitterness laced in my voice. "My father died before I was born so I never really got the chance to meet him. It would've been a dream come true for me if it had turned out that he was the one who was summoned by Miss Vallière. If that had been the case, then I would've been very happy since I would be given the once in a lifetime chance of being able to know more about him."

I stare up into the sky, clenching my fist as I tried to hide my anger on missing out on such an opportunity. To me, it felt like Saito robbed me of that chance. And I really don't think that I'd ever be able to bring myself to forgive him for that.

In the midst of my rage, I suddenly feel the soft touch of a hand on my own. Lowering my gaze, I see my master smiling at me causing my rage to slowly cool like hot water steadily losing its heat. It was only now that I realized just how calming my master's presence could be. She just had that aura about her, like a mother assuring her child that everything was going to be fine. The only person that's ever had that kind of effect on me was my own mother, and honestly it's been a very long time since she's made me feel that way. But as soothing as her aura was, it also made me feel a pang of regret in regards to my decision of bringing her along with me.

Would she still remain as she is right now after I show her the world of swords and battles that I lived in.

"Thank you." she suddenly says from out of the blue to me. "Because of our talk, I think I feel a little calmer now. I'm actually feeling a bit sleepy to be honest."

"Well, it's better if you try to get a bit of rest while you still can, Master." I advised her. "If you wish, you can even use my body as a pillow." I offered teasingly. And just as I had expected, her face suddenly glows a bright red as her eyes quickly look down to her lap.

"I-I... uhm...That's-."

I found the fact that she couldn't even reply to my offer quite amusing. I know I should really feel bad about teasing my master as often as I do. But seeing the (cute) way that she tends to react to my teasing was just too delicious to pass up. I think I'm starting to understand why the Duchess likes to bully people so much.

But before I could retract my offer and tell her that I was simply joking, in one of the roots more ironic methods of teaching me firsthand about the law of equivalent exchange, my master suddenly says the following:

"Uhm... I-If it's r-really okay with you, Kiritsugu."

Now it was my turn to feel embarrassed.

"EH-!" I say in shock. "Y-You don't have to force yourself, Master!" I tell her, my speech stuttering for some reason as I frantically waved both of my hands in front of me to dissuade her. Why in the name of the nameless fourth miracle was I panicking? "I was really just-!"

"Don't tell me you're backing out on your word now, kid!" my Uncle Derf who had been quiet since we boarded this ship suddenly chimes in, much to my dismay.

"But Uncle Derf, I was just-!"

"Tsk, tsk, Tsk. A Servant never goes back on his word. At least partner never did."

"But Uncle Derf-!" I tried to protest one more time. But alas, it was to no avail.

"No excuses for you, kid." the sentient blade speaks, putting his metaphorical foot down. "Now be a good Servant and stand still for your master!"

Our gazes met for a second before we both immediately look away from each other. At this point, I wasn't sure which one of us was blushing more.

"Uhm... I-If you would excuse me then." my master then carefully leans onto me as she rests her head right on top of my chest.

Despite the cold air, I could feel myself sweating like a pig frolicking under a hot afternoon sun. My heart was beating against my chest with such force that I wouldn't be surprised if my master could hear it right now. My breathing had even turned uneven. I was literally more nervous now compared to earlier when I was preparing myself for the upcoming battle.

And her breast, those gigantic and _very_ soft melons of hers were causing my entire body to go stiff like a board as they brushed against me.

Damn it, me! What in the root are you thinking? She's your master! You're not allowed to-... _wow, they're really sof_-! No, damn it! Bad Kiritsugu! Bad!

My master leans onto me further. "...So warm." she whispers to herself as I feel her body start to relax even more, her consciousness starting to fade.

This is bad. This is bad. Must purge desires. Must purge desires. Must purge desires!

"You can thank me for this later, kid." my Uncle tells me with an amused tone of voice. I was pretty sure that he was enjoying every second of my mental suffering right now.

"Yeah, sure Uncle Derf." I reply sarcastically. I'll be sure to show the sentient blade my appreciation for this by throwing him straight down the mouth of the first Volcano that we pass by.

Finally sighing the sigh of the damned, I decide to just bear with it as I shifted my body to try and make myself into the best human pillow that I could and allowed her to get comfortable. Looking at her at her current state and feeling just how fragile her body seemingly was, a part of me couldn't help but curse whatever higher power was up there in heaven that had the audacity of bestowing such a cruel fate on such a kindhearted girl. Taking Uncle Derf from my back, I carefully sneak the hand that was holding the sentient blade behind my master so that I could guard her back more closely as I continue to stare at her now sleeping figure.

Inwardly, I promised myself that I would never allow anything to harm her.

As both a Servant and a gentleman, I'll be sure to protect her.

-(Scene Break)-

_"So he's a good person, after all."_

_That was the final thought that swirled in her head as she rested on her Servant's chest, the warmth of his body warding off the cold night's air and calming her even more._

_Today, her Servant had finally told them the truth of where he really came from._

_…Another world similar to this one._

_…Only twenty years in the future._

_…And with a different person as the Gandalfr._

_It was quite the farfetched notion, something beyond anything that she could've thought of by herself._

_And yet, she decided to believe in him._

_He had told her that the main thing that their partnership lacked was trust. If that was the case, then she would be the one to take the first step in trying to fill that gap between them. And honestly, it seems that her decision was already starting to pay dividends. Just today, he had already told her many things that she would've never guessed about him. And as he told her of these things, she could see the lighter side of her Servant's persona shining through; a side which she thought better suited him compared to the cold-hearted swordsman that he would turn himself into whenever he was in the midst of battle. She felt that she had made great progress in getting to know her Servant better as the distance between the two of them became that much shorter._

_She chose to put her faith in him. After all, he was a good person._

_And because he was a good person, it saddened her every time she saw him hardening his heart._

_The way that he talked about death and battle…_

_The way that he regarded and carried himself..._

_The way that he would kill his emotions bit by bit as he turned his heart into steel whenever he fought…_

_She didn't know exactly what had happened to her Servant in the past to have caused him to develop such tendencies, but one thing she was sure of was that she did not like it. This was the reason why she had given that order to him._

_When she was still a child, her mother had once told her this:_

_'If a man were to ever kill enough people, he may one day become a demon. A monster that rules the land atop a pile of corpses and flies through the skies on wings bathed in blood. They become more and more violent. And when the time comes, they will no longer be able to understand the language of men._

_They would completely become monsters that feed on others.'_

_She did not want him to turn into such an unspeakable thing._

_So she had decided that, just as he had vowed to save her from physical harm, she would also resolve herself to save him from turning into a steel-hearted monster. She would do everything that she can to keep the side of him that she liked so much alive._

_And as her consciousness finally drifts away, the rhythmic beating of her servant's heart lulling her to sleep, she again dreams of the boy..._

_The boy, who looked to be a year or two older now, was traversing through a small forest. With a wooden sword in hand, he frees a small rabbit whose foot was trapped by some vines lying on the ground. The rabbits left leg seemed to have a very bad wound on it. Upon noticing this, the boy takes out an expensive looking handkerchief made out of silk. Tearing the sides of the small cloth, he uses it as a make-shift bandage to cover the wound. After which he lets the small creature hop away. Smiling at the good deed that he had done, the boy continues to walk through that lush greenery like a proud hero who had just recently saved an entire village from a disaster._

_He would spend the rest of the day helping other creatures who were in need of him. Whether it was a stray cat that was stranded atop the branches of a tree, a bird with an injured wing, or even ants that couldn't get past a shallow puddle, he would all help them with a confident smile on his face._

_He had vowed to be a hero just like his father. So to prepare himself for that future endeavor, it seems that the boy had decided to substitute helping people with helping animals for the mean time._

_But the boy would soon discover that even heroes had their limitations._

_As he walks past a group of trees and enters a small clearing, he sees the figure of a wild dog that was very thin of frame, the protruding ribs of its body a clear sign that it had probably not eaten anything for many days now. The animal seemed to be gnawing at something to quench its hunger. The boy upon seeing such a pitiful sight draws closer to see if he could help it in anyway, even taking out a couple of treats from his pocket to offer to the poor animal._

_But as he comes closer, his eyes widen in shock as he sees a gruesome scene being played out in front of him. The wild dog was indeed gnawing at something, it's teeth tearing through white fur and meat as blood began to trickle down its mouth and onto a familiar piece of cloth laying on the ground._

_The bundle of bloodied flesh that the dog was eating was in fact the injured rabbit that the boy thought that he had saved. The poor thing's belly had been ripped open but even in that state, it was still alive though just barely. The pitiful squeks that it was letting out were like cries for help to a disinterested God._

_The boy's body starts to shake._

_"Stop it..." he whispers._

_The wild dog, however, does not pay him any mind as it continued to savor the lump of flesh trapped in its jaws._

_"I said stop it!" the boy shouts with all his might as he charges at the dog armed with his wooden sword._

_He starts pounding away at the dog's head, harder and harder until the animal's very skull breaks open, the now lifeless creature's jaw finally releasing its prey. The boy runs to the mangled rabbit's side and with his blood stained hands he picks up the dirtied cloth and tries to use it to close teh rabbit's wound. But the small creature was already beyond help. And as much as the boy tried to desperately save it from death, it was already too late. _

_In the midst of the boy's frantic attempts, a hand grabs hold of his shoulder as a woman with strawberry blonde hair appears from out of the blue. This person had an aura about her, an air of authority that could make even king's beg for mercy. _

_The boy looks at the female and she could see the hope shining in his eyes. _

_But hope alone was not enough. _

_The woman gently shakes her head causing the boy's face to drop in grief. Kneeling besides him, her fingers gently close the now dead animal's eyes. And with a cold voice, she proceeds to tell him this..._

_"You can't save everyone."_

_Upon hearing that statement, the boy's shoulders slump down. Turning his attention back to his soaking red hands, he grits his teeth as he begins to cry, his tears falling on the dead body that he cradled in his arms._

_And so, on the eve of her first battle, she dreamt of a boy, his little hands stained in blood as he he finds out for the first time about one of the universal truths that govern the world._

_You can't save everyone._

* * *

**Okay, that was painfully long. Anyway, sorry guyz for the rather long wait. I couldn't really help it though since this chapter was pretty damn long. I even had to cut out certain scenes just to make sure that it didn't become needlesly long (which i think it still ended up being). It's funny because in my earlier drafts, I had this thing at around 18k words but after adding and changing stuff it practically doubled the word count of this thing. Another reason why it took me so long to write this was due to sports depression (Lakers losing, Pac getting robbed by those tool judges, Miami's imminent championship win), my summers just been one hell of a disappointment. Now, a couple of points that I want to bring up:**

**(1) First half of the Chapter feels a bit long winded but I think it picked up at around the middle part. Also, you may have noticed that the focus of this Chapter was the relationship between Kiri and Tiffa. Would like your opinions on this one and maybe give me a few things that you'd like to see in future chapters.**

**(2) Fight scene (I think) was the best one that I've written so far. Again, I'd really appreciate it if you could critic it for me so I can make future adjustments. Not to mention the next chapter will focus on the war now so...**

**(3) One of my bros told me that I seem to be making Shirou into some kind of Demi-god with the way that Kiri idolizes him so much. He does kinda have a point but if you think about it, most of the legends that we know are greatly exaggerated anyway. A perfect example of this would be how most Bball fans regard Jordan. Yeah, I know he's the GOAT but the way some people talk about him, you'd think the guy never lost a game in his life.**

**(4) Abour the reveal. Initially, I had planned for Kiri to spill everything in this Chapter but after reading Obiki's review last time, I suddenly realized that I was being retarded by doing that. Not only is Louise not here so the impact of the reveal would be less, it would also be too much of an info dump to put in just one chapter. So upon the advise of some of you guyz, I've decided to do the reveal bit by bit. At least that way, I can focus on each of their individual reactions to it.**

**(5) Spell checks will be done for previous chapters when i have extra time (Thanks for the heads up, Obiki). I double checked this chapter twice so hopefully I didn't miss anything now.**

**(6) I have finally decided on the mechanics of Kiri's tracing(?). Thank you for everyone's feedback on this. I'll start revealing it bit by bit as this fic advances. A clue that I've left is the fact that he now describes NP's in a Halkeginian point of view (I'll be 'editing' the previous chapters to reflect this as well). If you want to still give out suggestions then by all means do since I can still change it if I find that it's better than the one I have.**

**Last but not the least, thanks to all you guys who has reviewed and given me feedback and has really made this fic at least semi-coherent. There's too many names to mention but you know who you are anyway so thanks and I hope that you continue to help me out. RnR guyz. **


	5. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

Inside the musky confines of the Airship's dragon stable that I was currently aboard of, I look up as my sight meets a pair of reptilian eyes that were staring at my figure. The winged-beast before me, a wind dragon whose species were known for their agility and swiftness, was regarding me with a rather weird look of affection that I had grown accustomed to throughout the years.

"Uh... Hey there." I awkwardly tell it as I inch closer to the beast. In response, it also starts to approach me as well.

There were dozens of wind dragons that were housed in this stable, but out of all of them I found myself drawn to this one in particular. Though it was only natural for wind dragons to be very thin of frame which enabled them to move as fast as they did, this one seemed skinnier than normal.

The dragon slightly lowers its head as it starts to rub the side of its face against my chest. I, in turn, begin to scratch the small ridges at the corner of its eyelids.

"There, there. Good boy..." I whisper to it which causes the blue beast to trill at me.

As I look over its whole body, I notice a number of long swollen lines running across its back. Upon seeing this, I sweep my palm across its neck and before long my sense of touch notes the welts on its flesh. Such signs were clear evidence of the rough handling that this dragon must have endured at the hands of its trainer. From what I know, one of the cardinal rules of the Dragon Knights was to treat the dragons that they were partnered together with the utmost care and respect. I would've thought that such a rule would also be adopted by the Holy Knights of Romalia who were also known to be prominent users of Dragons. However, it seems that either I was wrong and such a rule was left out by the Holy Knights, or if it had indeed been adopted then not all of them were enthusiastic in following it. I could only guess that if the latter was actually the case then this unfortunate dragon's rider was most likely one of those rule breakers.

"Kiritsugu?" I hear my master call out to me from the entrance of the stable.

"Master." I turn towards her, smiling as I acknowledged her presence. The Dragon who was seemingly melting at my touch didn't even pay her the briefest of glances though

"What are you doing here?" she asks while staring at both the dragon and myself.

"I was just trying to find us a ride." I tell her.

After overhearing a report confirming the presence of King Joseph amongst the Gallian Armada, both Miss Tabitha and Saito had decided to go on ahead and scout the incoming fleet to see if they could pinpoint the exact location of their flagship since if the mad King of Gallia really was here then that was where we could most likely find him. They had left, riding Big Sister Irukukuu, over half an hour ago. I would've liked to come along with them so that I could start my own man hunt for King Joseph but I had to prioritize my master's safety first. Not to mention having to also carry both my master and I would only hinder Big Sister's aerial maneuverability. Of course, that didn't mean that I was giving up on my self-appointed mission of taking down the incompetent King. It was one of the main reasons why I had made my way to the airship's stable.

Earlier, I had asked the captain if he could allow me to borrow one of the dragon's stowed in the ship. I was thinking that having a dragon at my disposal would not only enable me to scout the incoming fleet and begin my own search for their flagship, but it would also serve as a quick way to make an impromptu retreat should our situation turn dire. Unfortunately, he was not very receptive to my request as he immediately told me off, ranting how war was not a game and that he would not allow me to take any of their dragons since they were already all in use. So why exactly was I in here then if they had already declined in granting me my request? Well, the captain didn't tell me _specifically_ that I wasn't allowed to enter the ship's stables. It just so happened that I found myself walking inside this place just out of pure curiosity. It's not like I was banking on the fact that at least one of the dragons would end up being charmed by my inherent gift of attracting all sorts of scaly creatures. Nor was I hoping that this would lead to one of them following me outside and serving as my ride.

Returning my attention to the dragon who I continued to spoil with my elite finger scratching skills, I ask my Master about something that I had been worrying about for quite some time now. "Is the Gallian fleet still holding their position, Master?"

"...Yes." she answers whilst nodding her head.

My eyes narrowed as my inner paranoia starts to kick in again. The Gallian fleet had come in sight just under an hour ago. In anticipation of the incoming attack, the Romalian fleet had set up a defensive perimeter just outside the border of Aquileia. But contrary to my expectations, the enemy forces had stopped just 1200 meters shy of a direct clash against the defending army and had stayed in that position up to now. Though I admittedly was a novice when it came to the art of war, with most of my knowledge having come from my mentors, I would've thought that a large scale battle should've been underway by now. Wars, from what I've been told, were supposedly prolonged affairs that required great patience lest you end up putting your forces at a disadvantageous situation. But at this distance, with an all-out assault virtually inevitable, what was holding the Gallian fleet back?

What was King Joseph waiting for?

"Kiritsugu? You look troubled. Is something bothering you?" she asks me, her uncanny perceptiveness of my inner struggles once again in full display as she walks over to where I was.

"It's nothing, Master." I reassure her though my voice didn't sound very convincing. "I'm probably just overthinking too much again."

At least that was what I hoped. I just couldn't shake of the anxiousness that I was feeling in regards to the current situation. Something was not adding up here so I needed to go outside and investigate this. That is why I needed this dragon's help.

"Oh my..." my master suddenly gasps upon seeing the marks on the back and neck of the blue reptile that I was petting. "What happened to this dragon?"

"They're most likely bruises caused by constant whippings." I tell her my opinion of what may have caused the swollen marks on its body. "I have a feeling that this fellow's rider is not the most caring person in the world."

"You poor thing..." she offers her sympathy to the abused beast as she too places her hand on its forehead. "Isn't there anything that we can do for this creature, Kiritsugu?"

"If that is your wish, Master."

Looking at the wind dragon, I place the palm of my left hand on the welts on its neck. As I begun to run prana over a couple of my circuits, the space between my hand and the dragon's neck is filled with a thin layer of water that I had condensed from the musky air of this environment to serve as a medium for my healing spell. The blue beast starts to softly coo at me as my magecraft begins to do its work, the marks on its back slowly fading bit by bit. Unfortunately, applying first aid and superficially treating the swelling on its back was the most that I could do for this dragon.

"You there!" Another voice echoes from the entrance as a stout-looking man walks in on us, the sacred charms adorning his neck, and the uniform that he was wearing that had a large symbol of the Founder holding out his hand embroidered onto the chest of the white robes clear giveaway that he was in fact one of Romalia's Holy Knights "What do you think you're doing! Get away from that thing!"

"I was just giving this dragon some first aid for its wounds." I answer truthfully which causes the knight to frown.

"What for? That stupid animal's gonna die soon anyway." he replies callously. Upon hearing this, it was my turn to frown. "That thing's the slowest dragon in the barrack right now. It sickens me that I was unlucky enough to get stuck with such a worthless piece of shit!"

I could see the dragon beside me cower in fear as it hears the rise in the knight's voice. I could only imagine what kind of hardships and punishment this creature must have experienced in the hands of this man for such a response to be engrained into its psyche.

"So I take it that you're this dragon's rider?" I ask offhandedly, trying to hide my disgust of such a deplorable person being given the title of 'Holy' Knight.

"Yeah! What of it!"

"Since you've gotten bored of having to take care of such a weak partner, I'm sure that you wouldn't mind if I borrowed him for a while." I offered to the Knight. Normally, I wouldn't have even thought of asking such a question since I would've immediately assumed that the Holy Knights of Romalia, just like other Dragon Knight orders, would be fairly attached to their dragons and would not part with it barring any unique situation. But I had a feeling that this person wouldn't mind if I took his Dragon away.

"Heh. If only it was that easy to be rid of that thing." he sneers. "Too bad though since the captain won't give me a replacement unless that thing actually dies. So the answer's no. That is unless..."

"Unless what?" I prompt him to continue though I had a feeling that I wouldn't like what he was about to say next.

The Knight starts to eye my master carefully, starting from her legs and slowly working his way up before lingering on her ridiculously sized chest. The lecherous smirk on his face was making both me and my master very uncomfortable. Yup, I was definitely not going to like what he was about to say next.

"Since you're just looking to borrow my dragon, I could fake an injury and have you as my replacement. Since the captain is trying to scrounge up as much manpower as he can, they'd probably just forgo standard procedure. So as long as you can manage to stay saddled onto that thing then they would probably be okay with it. But in exchange..." the salacious grin on his face grew even wider. I was really starting to hate this guy. "Why don't you have the little blonde with you accompany me for the night? After all, since I'm going to be suffering a very serious _injury_, I'll need someone to nurse me back to health. What do you think?"

After hearing this person's offer, I couldn't help but inwardly sigh. The Holy Order of Romalian Templar Knights, its members was supposed to be the elite of the elites, the order that boasted the highest standard of loyalty amongst the various military organizations in each of the major Halkeginian powers. Only those that were the embodiment of purity and devotion would be chosen to join their ranks.

Clearly, it was either their standards were not as strict as advertised or there were more under-the-table workings within that organization that I wasn't aware of.

"I see..." I smile at the lascivious knight, an act which causes the lustful look on his face to dissipate almost instantly as he involuntarily takes a step back. I couldn't blame him though since the smile that I was wearing was very similar to the 'Louise Vallière Scary Smile number six'. And as someone who has seen every smile in the Louise Vallière Scary Smile inventory, I could tell from firsthand experience that nothing good ever came from seeing any of them. "So all I really need to do is injure you to the point that you won't be able to move and then convince the captain to make me your replacement. Is that right?" My hand reaches for Uncle Derf's handle. If that was the case, then I could easily have that arranged.

Just as I was about to pull the sentient sword from its scabbard, I feel the soft touch of my master's hand impeding my draw. Turning my gaze to her in confusion, I see the resolute objection that she had on her face. I'm guessing that she had immediately caught on to what I was about to do and was not very kin about it. Gently shaking her head, she dissuades me further. "Kiritsugu, don't."

I stare back at her. I had not forgotten about her order in regards to killing people. And though I had given my word to do my best to follow it, that didn't change the fact that I still thought that such an order was just downright idiotic. After a while, however, I am the one who ends up giving in as I let out a defeated sigh whilst releasing my grip on Uncle Derf's handle.

The Knight after seeing this starts to laugh.

"Hah! So you're all bark and no bite, huh?" he scorns me. "I'm not letting either of you off the hook though. Threatening a Holy Knight of the Church of Romalia is a grave offense." he then pulls out his sword from its scabbard. "I'm going to be handing out both of your punishments. I'll be dealing with you right now and as for your girl," the lecherous grin returns to his face. "I'll be sure to hand out her sentence personally."

I stand my ground, loosening my right hand as I ready myself to trace a weapon in a moment's notice. I'm pretty sure that if this person attacks me first then I could pass chopping off his arms as an act of self-defense.

As the Knight takes a step forward while pointing the tip of his sword menacingly at me; a loud collection of roars echo through the stable.

"Brimir's balls!" the Knights yelps as the sudden ruckus takes him by surprise.

All three of us look around as we immediately notice the restlessness being expressed by the other dragons in their quarters; they seem to be directing their violent roars at the now confused Knight.

"What are you all so worked up about, you dumb lizards!" he yells at them in anger and in response the dragons intensify their roars at him. "Tsk! Whatever." turning his attention back to me, he inches himself closer to where we were standing while continuing to point the tip of his sword at us. From what I know, the holy Knights of Romalia had the ability to fire a unique kind of offensive spell using their swords. In anticipation of this I ready myself to trace my father's most well-known defensive Noble Phantasm to block any incoming attacks from him.

"Let's see how tough you are you little-... By the founder!" he suddenly shrieks in surprise as two of the dragons in the stable are able to escape their fetters and dive straight at him. The Knight tries to switch his aim from me to his scaly-skinned ambushers but he wasn't quick enough to use any of his spells against them as one the flying reptiles is able to pin him to the ground with its body. "Damn animals!" he curses at the dragons that were ganging up on him as he tries to unsheathe his sword and use it against them. But before he could do so, the other blue dragon near him bites onto the knight's cape as it lifts him up from the ground using its mouth. "Put me down!" he commands the scaly creature to which it obediently obliges by slinging him around by a full five rotations before throwing him against the wall of the stable. Though not as strong as their fire dragon cousins, wind dragons were no pushovers.

Upon impact the knight immediately falls to the ground, his body completely motionless. I didn't bother to go check up on him to see if he was still alive because first off, I'm pretty sure that he still was since I doubt that a fully armored knight would die from something so simple. He most likely just lost consciousness. Also, this guy definitely had it coming to him anyway.

The two dragons that had attacked the knight start to approach me. Wind dragons were supposed to be quite tame and rarely went amok. It was one of the reasons why the Holy Knight Order of Romalia chose breeding them over the stronger but more aggressive fire dragons found in this region. In the back of my mind I wondered what could've prompted these two to attack the now unconscious knight without any prior provocation. I grab hold of Uncle Derf's handle, stepping forward and putting myself between my master and the scaly beast as I prepared for the worst case scenario. One of the dragons leans its head close to mine as it stares at me with a rather weird look on its face. It was so close to me now that I could actually feel its breath brushing against my cheeks.

"Master, stay behind me. If anything happens, I want you to-..!" was as far as I got before my thought process was completely derailed by the unwelcome sensation of stickiness that was coming from the dragon's tongue as the scaly creature starts to lick me all over.

What in the root was going on here?

Suddenly, as if to answer my unspoken question, the dragon mercifully stops licking me and instead begins to nozzle the side of its head against my chest. The other dragon also follows suit as it puts its large forehead under my arm and starts to brush its cheeks against my body. Both of them lets out a soft trill while doing so which is soon chorused by the other dragons in the stable.

I sighed, massaging my aching head to relieve it of that all too familiar migraine that it has been experiencing quite frequently. I should've known.

"Umm... Kiritsugu, what just happened?" my master asks, confused as to what exactly had transpired before her.

"If I were to take a guess, Master. It seems that these two dragons didn't like the threatening way that the knight was talking to me so they decided to take matters into their own han-... err... claws(?) and dispatch of him personally in order to protect me." I narrate to her. It seems that my uncanny ability to fan the parental instincts of scaly cold-blooded creatures of all varying sizes and species did have its benefits from time to time. "That's just a guess though."

My master simply nods at me though I wasn't sure if what I had told her actually helped in clearing up the situation.

"What's going on here?" I hear another set of voices coming from the entrance of the stable as two more Holy Knights arrive. As they scan the vicinity to assess what the situation currently was, they quickly notice their fellow Knight slumped down on the floor. Looking ahead they see an even stranger sight of two dragons rubbing their heads at each of my sides. The look of abject confusion that they had pretty much told me that I had quite a bit of explaining to do.

-(Scene Break)-

"You sure you're up to this, boy?" the Holy Knight who was perched atop his dragon asks while looking down at me from where he sat. He was a fairly tall, middle-aged gentleman with long golden-blonde hair tied in a pony-tail and a ragged beard that covered most of his chin.

"Definitely." I reply to him with the utmost confidence as I continue to pat the forehead of the blue reptile that I was also about to ride on.

I was currently atop the airship's flight deck along with many other riders who were preparing to depart. My master who was also present was standing a few meters from where I was so as to not bother the other Knights.

Earlier, after a rather awkward moment of silence, the two newly arrived Holy Knights who had walked in on the rather strange scene in the ship's stable had prompted me to follow them to their captain's cabin to explain what had just happened. After explaining the situation to them the Captain, who surprisingly believed my story with relative ease, was understandably furious at both the delinquent Knight who had chosen the worst time to fool around and me for injuring one of his men. Left unsaid was the fact that the Knight in question had actually made a crude attempt at my master's chastity. It seems that the Captain considered that particular subject to be nothing more than a trivial matter. The lecherous Knight was right about one thing though. Their Captain really was trying to gather as much available manpower as possible since the next statement that came flying right out of the man's mouth was whether or not I could ride a dragon without getting myself thrown off its back. After nodding, he practically ordered me to take his fallen subordinate's place as compensation for making their forces a man short. And thus, that was why I now found myself suddenly enlisted into their ranks.

The person whom the Captain had tasked to look after me to make sure that I really could handle riding a dragon, continues to look on with a bit of skepticism on his face. "Are you sure you're okay with using that Dragon. It's not the best conditioned one out there."

"It's fine." I tell him whilst continuing to scratch the eye ridges of my reptilian transport. "The captain did say that this one was the only available unit that they had left. Besides, I think that this guy will do just great." Lifting my head towards the Holy Knight, I ask another question to him. "By the way, what's this dragon's name?"

"I don't know." the Knight replies. "I doubt that idiot Algus even bothered to give his own dragon one."

Turning my attention back to the seemingly nameless dragon, I ask it the same question for confirmation. "So you don't have a name, is that right?"

The Dragon shakes its head at me which I think somewhat surprises the Knight as well.

"Is it okay if I gave you one then?" Upon hearing this, the wind dragon starts to enthusiastically nod its head, the sudden movement creating ripples on its thin neck which causes me to smile in amusement. "How about 'Gale'? Do you like that name?" The dragon immediately thrills in response which I guess was its expression of approval for the name that I had suggested. "Okay, Gale. I'll be in your care from now on."

"It seems that dragon likes you better than its own master." the Holy Knight comments whilst trying not to laugh out loud. "Although, being more likeable than Algus isn't exactly that hard to do. That guy's a real asshole as you might already know. Anyway, this is great since at this rate I don't think that the dragon would throw you off. You sure you won't need a bow and arrow to fight at long range?" he suggests, not knowing the scope of my abilities. "Unless of course you can fire spells out of that sword of yours."

"I'm actually a mage so I'm sure that I'll be fine." I reply to quell his worries. Besides, if I ever ended up needing a bow then I could just trace one later anyway.

"So you're a mage, huh? You don't look or act like one though?" he says, surprised at the revelation of my inherent ability to use magic. "So what's a mage doing in a place that could turn into a warzone in the next couple of minutes?"

"Personal reasons." I answer back. "And I also came to save my master's friend." I add before looking over to where my master was standing.

I could see the anxiousness in her face. I had told her to remain in the ship until I could get a better grasp of the situation. After which, I would then be able to decide the best course of action that we should take. But for the meantime, staying here would be best for her. Our ship was actually located at the middle line of the Romalian fleet's defensive perimeter; which means that if the Gallian army were to suddenly decide to end the stalemate my master wouldn't be immediately involved in the clash and I could quickly come back for her.

"Master?" The Knight immediately follows my line of sight and spots the person that I was looking at. "Oh. You mean your lover, right?"

I could feel my cheeks immediately heat up upon hearing the Knights statement. "N-No no, i-it's not like that at all! She really is my master!" I frantically try to correct him. Unfortunately, it looks as if he wasn't buying it at all as I could see the teasing smirk plastered on his face.

"So calling your lover 'master' is the new fad now, huh?" he rambles on as he continues to insinuate that there was a more intimate relationship between me and my master than there actually was. "Geez, kids this days. What will they think of next?"

"I-I told you, it's not like that at all!" I insisted, practically red-faced. Hopefully, my master couldn't hear what this person was babbling about or it would make this whole situation even more awkward for me.

Though still a bit flustered by the previous conversation, I decide to start mounting my Dragon's back to prepare to take to the air and begin my scouting. As I settled myself on Gale's back, I suddenly hear the Knight who was with me speaking in a more somber tone.

"Are you really sure about what you're getting yourself into?" he asks again, although I could tell from the tone of his voice that this question was more serious now compared to when he first asked it. "This isn't a game, you know. This is war. There's a real chance that you might die before this night even ends. I'm sure that your girl over there would be crying her eyes off if that ever happens. Don't you have a family to come back to?"

"…I do."

"Then your family would be grief stricken if ever something bad happens to you. Hell, I have a wife and two boys waiting for me back in Aquileia. If it wasn't for the fact that I get paid quite nicely for serving the Church then I'd probably be looking for a much safer line of work. You should back out while you still can." he tries to dissuade me.

In all honesty, I could see where this person was coming from. And I did appreciate the fact that he was showing such concern towards me as well. However, such an option was not something that I could choose.

"Thank you for worrying about me, but I've already made up my mind." If I could somehow stop King Joseph tonight then I'm sure that it would immediately signal the abrupt end of this conflict. From what I know, there weren't many people who even supported the incompetent King of Gallia to begin with, so once he was gone Gallia would have no reason to continue to pursue this senseless war. After that, Miss Tabitha could immediately step in and take over as the new reagent since she would be the only heir to the throne remaining with the exception of Josette whose existence should still be unknown to most of the greater populace. If all of that were to happen, then I could stop this war before it even starts and becomes a drawn out affair, preventing thousands of deaths in the process. That's why I had no choice but to participate in this. "Also, I don't have any intention of dying here."

Just like what the Knight had said earlier, I have a family that was waiting for me; a mother that would be saddened by my death, and a country that I would need to take over in the future. Dying in this place was the farthest thing on my mind.

"I like your spirit, rookie." he grins at me. "What's your name by the way?"

"Kiritsugu. Kiritsugu Emiya." I reply.

"Well Kiritsugu, my name's Hohenheim. And like you, I don't plan on dying here either. I promised my boys that I'd teach them how to fight with a sword after I get back. So hopefully were able to live through this whole ordeal with both our heads still intact."

"Likewise." I reply to the veteran Holy Knight. I look back at my master for one last time before urging Gale to take to the skies.

As the blue-beast starts to flap its wings, I could feel myself rising from the wooden floor of the Airship's upper deck. The beating of its wings increases even more and in one powerful motion, it launches itself upwards, like an overzealous bird that had been locked up in a cage and had finally been given the chance to spread its limbs. I could feel a strong gust of wind blowing against my face as my eyes squint in an attempt to not be blinded by it, my hands holding tightly to the reins of my Dragon so that I would not be thrown off its back. Really, it was a good thing that I had a bit of experience in riding Big Sister Irukukuu during my childhood or else I would've been unprepared for this. As Gale finally settles down, I look to where the airship that we had just left was and I see that I was now hovering ten-stories above it.

"Hmm… Not bad, rookie." Sir Hohenheim who had taken to the skies as well praises me. "Most beginners usually get thrown off by the sudden upward trajectory, or if not then they start clinging to their dragon's neck like a toddler. I'm guessing that you've had experience in riding dragons, am I right?"

"A little bit." I answer back. "But riding a wind dragon feels really different though. Its body is smaller compared to most dragons so the chances of you getting unseated from its back are greater. I doubt that Gale here would be able to carry more than two people and the tradeoff for that would be a slight reduction in its speed and maneuverability."

"Ho! That's pretty observant of you!" the blonde Holy Knight continues to laud me for my uncanny knowledge. "Hey! Ever thought about maybe joining the Church's Order of Holy Knights? You seem to have some great potential. Not to mention we could really use more people like you so we wouldn't have to let scumbags like Algus in just because we need more able bodies."

"…I'll think about it." I tell him, though at the back of my mind I knew that there wasn't even a snowball's chance in hell of that ever happening.

"Since you seem to be okay by yourself then I don't think that you'll need me to look after you anymore." He then points to a platoon of dragons converging at the very front of the fleet. "I've been assigned to assist the infantry in the frontlines. Kiritsugu, you're with the reserves. I want you to stay as close to this ship as possible. If Gallia begins their attack then you better be sure that you're adequately prepared to provide us with some support when we need it."

"You can count on me." I assure him

"Good luck, Kiritsugu."

"I wish you the same as well, Sir Hohenheim."

After giving me a slight nod, the Holy Knight and his dragon quickly heads to their assigned station. I in turn fly a bit further as I tried to get a better look at the Gallian fleet's formation. Soon after, I see Miss Tabitha and Saito who was riding Big Sister Irukukuu approaching me.

"Oi! Kiritsugu!" Saito shouts out, waving his hand to catch my attention. Urging Gale forward, I meet the two Chevaliers. "Where'd you get the dragon?" he asks me out of curiosity.

"I borrowed it." I answered offhandedly before looking to Miss Tabitha. "Did you find their flagship?"

She gives me a brief nod. "Rear." she answers before turning her sight back to the Gallian fleet that was over a thousand meters away from us. She seemed to be looking at something that was past the conglomerate of ships that were stationed at the opposing side. Reinforcing my sight to the utmost, I get a slight glimpse of a vessel that I quickly assumed to be the flagship that both of us were looking for. It was probably a good five hundred meters away from the entire Gallian army.

"Something's strange here…" I say to myself out loud, immediately noticing something off about that specific ship which catches the attention of the black-haired Chevalier.

"Strange? What do you mean?" he asks, not knowing what I was getting at.

"No escort." Miss Tabitha answers him, voicing out the worries that were swirling inside of my head.

Upon seeing that Saito was still not aware of what both I and the blue-haired mage were on about, I decide to explain further. "It's not unusual to see the main flagship or commander be positioned at the very back of the army's formation since it's probably the safest spot in the battlefield. But you would think that having their flagship that far away from their forces, and without any sort of escort or backup, would be a bit reckless." At such a distance, if an ambush were already set-up, none of the other ships would be able to aid the main flagship in time. Had they simply just disregarded such a possibility thinking that since they were the ones who had taken the initiative Romalia would not have the time to set up any backdoor traps? "Also, the fact that it's taking them so long to mount any sort offensive is worrying."

"Well, if that's the case, then why doesn't Romalia just attack them now?" Saito inquires further.

His query was calmly answered by the Gallian Royal with two simple words, "They can't."

"What do you mean, Tabitha?" he queries on.

Deciding that it was probably my turn to explain things again, I begin to expound on what the blue-haired mage had effectively summarized with a mere two words. "Although everything that we're seeing right now points to an all-out invitation to war, the fact is that Gallia has technically not yet declared anything of the sort." It was one of those annoying things about politics; everything had to be in writing. Whether it was accepting or turning down appointments, increase or decrease of taxes, wars, or even selling your own furniture, you always had to have it written down in a piece of paper that would just get stored in a dusty old vault somewhere to later be forgotten anyway. That was an aspect of ruling a nation that I was definitely not looking forward to. "Right now, the most that you can really call this is aggressive action. If Romalia were to attack now then the opposing side could quickly use that as justification for a formal declaration of war. Until Gallia actually fires the first shot or legally overstays its welcome, all Romalia can really do is to try to scare them off."

"Wait… How the heck do you know so much about this kind of things?" the easily surprised Chevalier tells me.

"Common sense… and I read a lot." I answer him, though I didn't tell him that I was pretty much forced to by a rather strict Blonde-haired Vallière who just so happened to also be my teacher in Ancient and Modern History. "You should try doing both so that your inexperience doesn't show up so much." I add that slight jab before returning my reinforced sight back to the opposing army.

"There you go again!" Saito shouts back at me, though I wasn't really paying him any mind. "Why do you always have to treat me like-… Hey! Are you even listening to me?" he continues as he finally notices that my attention was focused elsewhere.

"I… see something." I tell both of them as my reinforced sight catches a glimpse of a single unit that was slowly making its way to the middle of the space that separated the two sides. It was really small, probably just slightly larger than an average man… and it had wings. Deciding to investigate further, I urge Gale to take me closer so that I could make out a bit more detail of the unit that was flying on its own. Focusing my eyes on the flying thing, I am able to discern its features a bit more. It had two horns protruding from its dragon-shaped skull. Its body looked quite muscular with a pair of bat-like wings flapping behind its back, its grayish skin giving it the appearance of a stone statue that had been carved out from a marble slab. In all honesty, this thing looked very much like one of those gargoyle statues that you see decorating the outside of Cathedrals and were used to scare believers into repenting.

"What do you see, kid?" my Uncle asks, intrigued as to what it was that had caught my attention.

"Uncle, I see something that looks like a stone gargoyle heading our way." I inform the sentient blade as I continue to observe the single unit. "There's a glowing rune etched on its chest." I tell my Uncle Derf in regards to a peculiarity that I had noticed on its body.

"Aye. Then it probably means that, whatever that thing is, it's under the control of the Myozuntnirn: Sheffield."

"Is that so?" turning my attention back to the flying gargoyle, I notice a second peculiarity in regards to it. "It looks like its holding something in its hand."

"What does it look like?" my Uncle asks.

"It's… a sphere." I answer him before going into more detail about the item that the gargoyle had in its possession. "It's not very big, and it's glowing with a very bright red hue. It's like its insides are on fire or something."

"A glowing red sphere… fire…" my Uncle Derf whispers to itself as if putting together the bits of information that I had relayed to it. I on the other hand continue to monitor the single flying gargoyle with the utmost suspicion.

I didn't know why but I felt a very ominous aura emanating from that thing.

"…No …It couldn't be." the sentient blade whispers to itself again, but unlike earlier there was actually a tinge of fear lacing its voice.

"What is it, Uncle Derf?"

"Kid! Get away from that thing right now!" the blade shouts into my ear with such a loud voice that it actually made my eardrums ring.

"What's wrong, Uncle?" I ask him as I too started to worry. This was the first time that I've heard my Uncle speak in such a panicked tone. I couldn't help but wonder what it was that was causing the usually composed blade to act this way.

"Just head back to the ship now! Get your master and fly as far away from that thing as quickly as possible!"

"Uncle, what's going on? What're you-!" And then, as if to answer my unfinished question, a red light starts to shine from the center of the open space that separated the two opposing armies. It was bright, as if radiating from the very core of a crimson sun.

I could feel my very soul screaming at me to heed my Uncle's warning and to get away from that thing as quickly as possible. Allowing my instincts to take over, I immediately pull hard on the reins that bound Gale, prompting the rather surprised wind dragon to withdraw in haste. My eyes squint a bit, the sudden gust of wind caused by our impromptu retreat blowing against my face and making my vision slightly blurred. I catch a glimpse of Miss Tabitha and Saito who were just a hundred meters in front of me, both seemingly mesmerized by the red glow.

"Get away!" I shout at them as I urged the two Chevaliers to draw back as well, my voice snapping both of them out from whatever trance that they were in.

Immediately listening to my warning, Miss Tabitha quickly orders Big Sister Irukukuu to make an abrupt retreat. Afterwards, I turn my attention to the ship were I had left my master and to my horror I see that she was at the very front of the upper deck of the floating vessel, staring at the crimson light as if enchanted by its bright glow.

"Root damn it!" I curse as I steered the dragon towards the ship, looking back to see just how much time I had left.

Unfortunately, it seemed that time had already run out.

In an instant, the reddish light expands, its size growing a thousand times larger compared to what it originally was. Its ever increasing surface area devours the open space that had once divided the two sides as its range widens like a forever enlarging sun, engulfing the front lines of both armies in a sea of crimson flames. Knowing that I would not be able to reach my master in time, I simply end up doing the first thing that came to mind. Placing myself in front of the ship, my master standing just a few meters behind me, I face the large mass of heat and flames that threatened to consume us as I held out my left hand.

Trace on.

"Rho Aias!" I call out my chosen defense's name, projecting the seven layered Noble Phantasm before me and my dragon as it stood against us and the ball of fire.

Rho Aias was one of the few defensive Phantasms that my father had stored within his armory. It was well-known throughout my world for both its versatility and durability to which it was second only to one other defensive phantasm. There were only a handful of individuals and weapons that could even damage, much less break through one of its petals. In fact, were it not for one particular draw back, I probably wouldn't hesitate to use it more often than I did.

It happens within the span of mere seconds. With the power of the Aias I was able to shield the ship from the massive explosion that threatened to swallow it. But my victory was not a complete one. Though the Aias was able to weather the main impact of the explosion, it was not versatile enough to spare me from the outward force that emanated from it. Had I been standing on solid ground I would've been able to push back against it, but because I was riding on a dragon that was flying in mid-air I was unable to do so. The shockwave that followed in the next second completely pushes me back and throws me and Gale to the upper deck of the airship. My body flies through the air, my eyes seeing pieces of wooden debris scattered everywhere before I slam down onto the ship's floorboards with a great thud.

"Kir… ts… gu..!"I hear someone's voice from the background though it seemed to be coming from some far off place.

I could feel an oppressive heat from all around me as it slowly grew hotter and hotter. I open my eyes, my mind still disoriented, and my sight slightly fuzzy from having my head hitting the floorboards of the deck hard. I could see panic everywhere, the visage of different people running all over the place like a bunch of headless chickens. I gingerly try to stand up, my body swaying like a fig tree. My ears were still buzzing due in part to the large noise that had been produced by the explosion from moments ago.

"Kiritsugu!" I again hear the familiar voice from earlier as I feel a pair of gentle hands encircling my waist, a soft and very warm body pressing itself against me and aiding my body to stand straight. As my vision starts to focus, I see tufts of golden blonde hair slightly hidden under a plaid white headdress as it leans against my chest.

"…Master." I whisper, finally recognizing the identity of the figure that had locked me in her embrace.

The blonde half-elf stares up towards me, her eyes practically brimming with tears. "Are you okay, Kiritsugu? Do you feel all right? You're not injured, are you?" she begins to bombard me with questions, worry and distress intertwined in both her voice and facial features.

"I should be the one asking you that, Master." I tell her as I begin to gather my senses. "You're not hurt, are you?"

She shakes her head. "No, I'm fine. You saved me, Kiritsugu. But," she lowers her face onto my black shirt which she uses to rub the tears that had begun to trace her cheeks. "…I feel better knowing that you're okay."

I smile upon hearing this as I once again felt my cheeks starting to heat up. "You know, Master. You really do worry too much." But just after assuring her of my condition, I slightly jerk my body away from my master as I feel a sudden surge of pain erupting from within me. I could feel the sensation of blood slowly working its way upwards through my throat. I quickly cover my mouth as I start to cough into them so as to not stain my master with my life fluids. It seemed that the explosion from earlier had been strong enough to break at least three of the Aias' petals which was quite the testament to its power seeing as that I had only guarded against the tail end of it.

"Kiritsugu!" my master calls to me with concern, worry again laced in her voice as she draws her body closer to mine so as to provide me with a bit of support. Her eyes immediately widen upon seeing traces of blood in my hand. "What's wrong? Is something the matter?" she starts to frantically ask.

I try to recompose myself, steeling my expression so as to hide the pain that I was feeling.

This was one of the main reasons why I tried to avoid using Rho Aias as much as possible. Though it was a very versatile and durable shield, the consequences of one of its petals being destroyed was equally great, something that I was unfortunate enough to find out during one of my training sessions with the Duchess. Rho Aias was in some ways a representation of my body that protected me from incurring fatal attacks. But because it was a part of me, any damage to it would also reflect onto my own body. Usually the damage would manifest itself in the form of internal injuries such as broken bones, torn muscles, and internal bleeding. When the Duchess and I had discovered this particular side effect, even she was perplexed by it, telling me that my father had never suffered such a drawback whenever he had used it or at least not to the same extent that I did. She had theorized that he may have been spared from this by the fact that he had been summoned under the Gandalfr class which had a great affinity with weapons. If that was actually the case, then I guess it was completely understandable why I wouldn't be able to enjoy the same benefits that he did. It was just another reason why I wished that I had been summoned under the Gandalfr class instead of the Unknown fourth servant class of the void whose abilities I was still unaware of even up to now.

"Don't worry, Master. It's just a little bruise. It's nothing to get worked up about." I try to reassure her though my constant wincing was not doing me any favors in trying to alleviate her worries. As I start to look around, I see that the airship that we were in had caught fire and was starting to lose altitude. Though the Aias was able to salvage the front half of the ship, it seems that it was not large enough to protect it completely since the fire and shockwaves that had been produced by the explosion was able to circumvent its defense and was still able to damage its back end. The remaining Holy Knights and crewmen that had been left on the ship were in a state of panic as they started to try and find ways to save themselves from sinking with it. "We have to get out of here now." I tell her.

Looking back behind me, I see Gale who was just a few feet away from us starting to stand as well as he begins to shake the cogs in his head back into place. Grabbing my master's hand, I guide her towards the now erect wind dragon who greets me with a soft thrill.

"You okay, Gale?" I ask the dragon to which it enthusiastically replies by moving its head up and down. "You wouldn't mind having my master ride with us, right?" I ask it again, this time for its approval of taking in another passenger, and in response it shakes its head from side to side before letting out a soft trill that seemed to be directed towards the Blonde half-elf. I spare my master a brief glance. "I think he likes you." I inform her of my interpretation of the Dragon's actions. Though I didn't speak dragon, I was sure that I was pretty spot on.

"Is that so?" she asks me before turning to the wind dragon and giving it one of her trademark smiles.

"Well, since the introductions are over, I think that it's time for us to get out of here." I quickly mount Gale again and after securing my seat I stretch out my left hand towards my master and assist her in climbing aboard the scaly-reptile. "Master, hold on tight." I tell her as she is finally able to position herself safely in front of me. In one motion, I urge the wind dragon to take to the skies once more as we leave the now abandoned airship and allow it to descend into the depths of the sea.

Now that I was airborne again, I reinforce my sight so that I could start scouting the surrounding terrain. Looking towards the side of the Romalian fleet, I could see total chaos everywhere. Their forces had been reduced by half because of that explosion. The remaining ships had decided to turn a full 180 degrees and do a hasty retreat. I guess they really didn't have a choice especially now that they were fully aware of the destructive firepower that the other side had in its disposal. There wasn't anything that they could do but withdraw and maybe regroup for a counter attack. Gallia's fleet on the other hand was starting to advance now.

"Kiritsugu! Tiffa!" I hear another familiar voice call out from the sea of panic that surrounded us. Looking towards the owner of the voice, I see the figures of both Saito and Misss Tabitha riding on the back of Big Sister Irukukuu. I guess I had given that warning just in the nick of time. Since Big Sis could fly at speeds that surpass even that of the fastest wind dragons, they were probably able to distance themselves to avoid the full brunt of the explosion. "Are you two okay?"

Both of us nod in response to the black-haired chevalier's question, though I could feel my master's eyes stare at me afterwards. She was probably still worried about my brief show of weakness from earlier. "What's the status of the Romalian fleet right now?" I ask the Chevalier.

"Half of the fleet has been completely annihilated. Last I heard was that the commander had issued an order to retreat." Saito informs me, confirming my guess. "That explosion… What the heck was that?"

"Firestone!" Both of the sentient blades that were stowed behind mine and the Chevaliers back answer in unison, after which a brief moment of awkward silence follows suit.

I alternate looking at both the talking swords, waiting for one of them to continue. "Okay… Would either of you care to explain what that is exactly?"

"Hmph! What're you looking at me for, sword boy!" Saito's Derflinger snaps at me. "Why don't you let old rusty there explain it to you? He should be old enough to know what that is!"

"Who're you calling old rusty you worthless piece of metal!" my Uncle Derf retaliates. "I bet my handle's sharper than that dull blade of yours!"

"That does it! Let's go right now you fossilized piece of metal! My damn body is ready!"

"Hah! Tough talk coming from a sword that's only been in 4,687 battles!"

I smack the palm of my hand onto my face, mostly due to disbelief that the two blades could still find the time to argue considering the situation that we were in right now. "Could either of you just answer my question."

"All yours old rusty." Saito's Derflinger quips at my uncle before sheathing itself back into its scabbard.

"Tsk! Fine!" my Uncle Derf snorts before continuing to explain. "Firestones are magical minerals formed of compressed magical energy. They're the same as Windstones though they're aligned to the element of fire instead of air. Not to mention they're more suited to destroying things than Windstones."

"Why have I never heard of them before?" I ask my Uncle.

"That's not really a surprise." the blade tells me. "These kinds of minerals are either created naturally by the land gathering magical reserves and slowly turning it into a crystallized form or artificially through the fusion of the void and the elves first born magic, gathering the power of elemental sprites and sealing it into a crystal. Finding naturally made firestones is practically impossible so the only way that you could get your hands on one is through the assistance of an elf."

"An elf, huh?" I had once heard that the former King of Gallia was able to ally himself with an elf although their partnership didn't really last long since my father had killed the said elf before it could really do anything. From what Miss Siesta had told me, Saito and the others had come face-to-face with one during their rescue of Miss Tabitha but were unable to kill it. Could it be that the same elf was the one who was helping supply Joseph with the Firestones? "Master, I strongly suggest that we pull back for now." I tell the half-elf who was riding with me.

"But what about Louise?" Saito interjects angrily. "Do you want me to just leave her!"

"I'm not saying that." I calmly answer. "I know you want to save your master as soon as possible. But we also can't just charge head on either. That explosion took out half of Romalia's entire fleet. And while Gallia suffered a bit of damage themselves, they now have the advantage in numbers. Plus, we don't even know whether they have any more of those firestones at their disposal. Simply charging in with reckless abandon would be suicidal."

I could see the black-haired Chevalier grit his teeth. "Louise…" He was probably seeing my point though still finding it hard to be agreeable, but I did somewhat understand why he was still not sold with my idea of retreating. The fact that he was so close to his master but was unable to advance any further than this is surely a frustrating thing for him.

"We have to go." I urge the two of them. The bluette nods her head, understanding the situation fully. Saito on the other hand was silent though he did not voice out any objections to our planned withdrawal.

As both Big Sister Irukukuu and Gale retreat back into the heart of the city, my reinforced sight looks back at the advancing army from Gallia. They were already nearing the port of Aqueilia and will most likely begin their invasion once all of their forces are able to enter the city's airspace. I also catch a glimpse of another gargoyle flying in the middle of the invading fleet as it too held a similar sphere of flames like the one before.

This was bad. Really bad.

I look down at the crowded streets below. There were still a great number of people that were trying to get away from the approaching army. After seeing that huge explosion, they probably allowed their self-preservation instincts to take over and had started to run for their lives. If that thing detonates with the same level of destructive force that the earlier one had, it would quickly reduce the whole city into a heap of flaming ruins. Many people were going to die.

Briefly, I contemplated on whether I could shoot down that gargoyle at this distance by using one of my father's Noble Phantasms. Maybe I could use Hrunting to destroy it since it would ensure that I'd be able to hit my target even if it decided to move or change position. Or Maybe Caladbolg II will do just as fine seeing that not only would it take care of that thing but it would also bring down a ship or two in the process. The only reason why I was even second guessing this idea was because of the fact that an attack coming from our side may end up instigating an immediate counter offensive from them. As of the moment, Gallia had not yet begun to fire indiscriminately at the populace below so I really didn't want to give them a reason to.

But while I was caught up in these thoughts of mine, something unbelievable suddenly happens that I honestly did not expect.

Just as the infantry was nearing the port of Aquileia, a crimson light suddenly shines at the very center of the Gallian armada. In an instant, the majority of their ships are suddenly engulfed in a sea of flames as the firestone in the gargoyle's hand is detonated for some reason. The impact and force of the explosion was very similar to the one from earlier, the shockwave that was created from it had even reached us, slightly throwing the two dragons that we were riding on slightly off balance. As the explosion finally settles down, I glance back behind me again to see just how much damage that attack had caused. With the exception of the port and the houses near it, most of the city of Aquileia had mercifully been saved from the explosion. I raise my vision towards Gallia. It seemed that they were not as fortunate. Their entire army had been reduced to a third of their original numbers. There was discord in their ranks. Ships, probably unsure of what had actually happened, were confused whether they should continue to advance or retreat.

I myself was wondering what in the name of the five true magics was going on?

If it was their intention to level Aquelia to the ground then shouldn't they have allowed the gargoyle to reach at least the center of the city before unleashing its power? And being aware of the destructive force of the firestone, why would they have their entire fleet escort it knowing all too well that it would end up crippling them? Maybe it had been activated by mistake? Although the thought of such a childish error happening in the midst of a supposed war, to me, was more dumbfounding than it was amusing. I just don't get it?

As I continued to look at the depleted ranks of the once great Gallian army, I notice something that raises my curiosity. The flagship of their armada had maintained its distance from the main invading force. That ship was devoid of the aura of hysteria and confusion that had enveloped the other Gallian ships. In fact, it looked as if it lacked any sort of crewman or private force. It simply stayed where it was, as if observing all of the chaos that was ensuing.

It was at this time that a sickening thought crosses my mind.

No… A person couldn't be that depraved, right?

"Uncle Derf, you were there when my father fought the King of Gallia. Am I right?" I ask the blade stowed behind my back.

"Aye."

"King Joseph, what was he like as a person?"

"That guy was a pretty sick bastard." my Uncle tells me which only served to further reinforce my suspicions. "He kept harping about how all the chaos and deaths that he had caused was nothing more than a tool for him to feel any kind of emotion. Anger, sadness, joy, anything. Partner was definitely relieved that he was able to stop that crazy fool before he could cause any more trouble."

My eyes scour through the scene before me. Ships set ablaze, its crewmen and soldiers in a state of shock as the smell of burning wood and flesh fills the night air. The people below running around in terror, trampling over their fellow man as they desperately tried to escape a city seemingly doomed to be turned into a fiery hell at any given time. Children crying on the streets, all alone as they were left unaware of the impending danger that was approaching. This was not a war at all. This was something worse.

So this was the disaster that my father had prevented from happening.

"Master…" I addressed the girl riding with me, the expression on my face as cold as steel while masking the surge of anger welling up inside my soul. "Please retract the order that you gave me today."

She blinks in confusion; as if unaware of what it was that I was pertaining to. This was only for a moment though since her eyes quickly widen the very next second, probably realizing what order I was talking about and why I wanted her to take it back. "…Kiritsugu."

"It's the only way. If I don't do this now then more people will end up dying." I try to convince her. I had to stop this thing from escalating any more than it already has. I can't let that bastard Joseph see the light of another day. "Please retract that order. If you don't then I will just disregard it completely." I finish off my statement with that threat. As a Servant, I was more than capable of independent action. If she were to continue to be stubborn, then I had no intention of continuing to listen to her.

There was a palpable tension now between me and my master.

To begin with, that order was quite unreasonable. Had it not been for the fact that she had given it to me at that very moment when she had shown that she did possess a bit of steel in her then I would've never agreed to at least try to follow it. I didn't want to disrespect her by simply dismissing it, especially after seeing the resolve that she had when she had given me that order. But I guess it still ended up being like this after all.

My master looks at me in silence, her eyes conveying the uneasiness that she was feeling right now as I could see her conviction regarding that order slightly wavering. I in turn stare at her sternly, my cold expression relaying my defiance as I try to overwhelm her with my own resolve. I knew that this was definitely going to damage my relationship with my master, but for me to have threatened to completely disregard her authority was in a way showing her how serious I was about this matter. This had effectively turned into a battle of wills between me and her

"Kiritsugu… I…" my master starts to talk, her voice just barely louder than a whisper.

But before she could continue with what she was intending to say, we are suddenly interrupted in our conversation.

"Hey! Kiritsugu!" the black-haired Chevalier frantically shouts out to me.

"WHAT?" I shout back at him, peeved at his sudden interruption as I look at him with an expression of absolute annoyance. It was only then that I notice the alarming look of panic on his face, his sight seemingly glued to something near the border of the city. Turning my gaze towards the direction of what he was looking at, I quickly see three Gallian ships that were on fire and were slowly losing altitude as they neared Aquileia. Whatever miracle it was that had allowed all three airships to remain afloat even when almost eighty percent of their structure was completely ravaged by flames seemed to be finally running out. Unfortunately, based on their current speed and trajectory, there was a great chance that they would end up crash landing near the heart of Aquileia, setting the whole city ablaze.

My grip on the reins that bound Gale tightens. With this amount of disorder plaguing the Gallian armada, I could most likely reach their Flagship in mere minutes without having to worry about the other airships getting in my way. But chances are that the moment I reach my destination, the three burning airships would've already crash landed in Aqueilia. On the other hand, if I were to choose to stop the burning ships first King Joseph might suddenly try to escape. And if that were to happen then this scene of destruction may end up being repeated in some of the other countries in the continent.

"Kiritsugu, what are we going to do?" Saito presses me for an answer. "Can't you think of a plan or something?"

The truth was that I did have a plan in mind. But it would involve me doing something that I wasn't prepared to do as of yet… and that was putting my faith in Saito.

"Oi! Swordboy! We gotta hurry!" Saito's Derflinger yells at me, emphasizing how time was definitely not on our side.

I grit my teeth. I guess it really can't be helped.

"Saito, you go on ahead and rescue Miss Vallière. I'll do something about those ships." I tell him the gist of my plan.

"Wait, I thought you said earlier that we shouldn't just charge in recklessly?" Saito asks, remembering my warning from before.

"The situation has changed. With the remaining Gallian airships in this much disarray, I doubt that they'll even pay you any attention at all." I inform him. "With Big Sister Irukukuu's speed, you should be able to reach the flagship in a matter of minutes. Once you're there, try to get Miss Valliere back. But in case you can't then do everything that you can to at least stop Joseph from escaping."

After hearing this, he slowly nods in agreement. Though I was not entirely sold on this person's skill, he was still the Gandalfr after all - one of the four legendary Servants' of the void. He should be able to do this. He had to.

"I got it. But how exactly are you going to stop those ships?"

"I have my ways. So don't worry, I'll handle it." I assure him. Though what I had in mind would most likely deplete my Prana to dangerously low levels, I didn't really have much of a choice. "I'll catch up to both of you after I'm done here."

"…Alright, I understand." He says as he nods at me. "Make sure you protect Tiffa."

"I will. And make sure you save your master." I reply back before both of us departs to our opposing destinations.

I urge Gale to fly as swiftly as he could, the speed that we were moving at was so fast that the sudden rush of air actually blows away the white headdress that my master was wearing off the top of her head. As I see the three ships descent into the city hastening, I direct the wind dragon to head towards the front of the vessels, pushing it to hurry even more. I could feel the wind dragon's body laboring as it tried to cope with my commands. I knew that Gale was nearing his physical limit right now, especially since he was being ridden by two persons instead of just one. But even knowing that, I didn't have a choice but to ask this of my reptilian comrade. Time was definitely not a luxury that I had at the moment. I probably only had about four or five minutes at the most to avert the impending disaster that was threatening Aquileia. Right now, every second counts.

As we finally reach our destination, I prompt Gale to stop and hold our position. Both my master and I raise our heads to the sky. In front of us was the trio of flaming ships that continued on their descent to the ground, below us was the panic-stricken city of Aquileia, and right now the only thing that stood between the two of them was me, my master, and my wind dragon.

"Kiritsugu, what are we going to do?" my master asks with a rather calm tone in her voice.

I was honestly surprised by this since I thought that she would be panicking right now. A lot of people would've reacted that way. After all, it's not every day that you see three fiery airships heading straight at you with nothing to shield you against them.

"Aren't you scared, Master?" I ask her, unable to contain my curiosity as I traced a very long bow in my left hand.

"A little bit… But I'm not really that worried though."

"And why is that?" I ask her further while I readied myself to trace my chosen weapon.

She then looks at me with that all too familiar smile of hers, her face beaming with a strange confidence that I had only really seen once before. "Because you said that you would protect me. And I trust you enough to believe that you will."

I chuckle a bit after hearing this as a slight smile of pride graces my lips. But that would be the last time that such a gentle expression would be seen on my face as I again steel my emotions before glaring at the three infernal ships that were fast approaching.

"His Body is made out of Swords."

Trace on.

In my right hand I once again held the Noble Phantasm 'Caladbolg II', the screw-shaped sword that my father had used countless times as a projectile weapon in various situations due to its destructive power. And it was this same destructive power that I would need to call upon three times in order to save the city that was below us. My plan was to completely destroy all three ships, not allowing even a single chip of wood to reach Aquileia. And because that was my intention I had decided to use the services of the sword that been dubbed by the Emperor of Germania, Albrecht the III, as the 'Arrow that pierces the Heavens'. There was probably no other Noble Phantasm inside my father's armory that could serve me better than the one that I was now currently holding. And if there were, I most likely wasn't aware of them.

Loading the sword onto the long bow that I had traced earlier, I turn my upper body to the side so that my master's figure would not block either my sight or my draw. Pulling back the sword, I focus my attention towards the airship whose descent was the furthest as of the moment, my eyes taking aim at its very center. I begin to flood the weapon loaded onto the bow with my Od.

Caladbolg II on its own was already a very powerful weapon to begin with, but a 'broken' Caladbolg II was just that much more powerful, its destructive capabilities so strong that it could literally erase an entire hill in one shot. But the price of breaking this weapon would cost me dearly. I could really only use a finite amount of Prana to trace my father's weapons. At full strength and with all other things considered I could trace about ten Noble Phantasms. And that doesn't even take into account how much of my own Od I'd need in order to make them into Broken Phantasms. Since I had already traced Gae Dearg earlier today, Rho Aias just a few minutes ago, and now that I was planning to trace three copies of Caladbolg II, all of which would be turned into Broken Phantasms, that means that assuming Saito is unable to defeat both the Myozuntnirn: Sheffield and her master Joesph I would only be able to trace two more weapons when I came face to face with both of them later. Honestly, that was not a prospect that I was looking forward to but I really had no other options. I had already made up my mind so whatever will happen is going to happen I gue-..!

"…What in the root?" I whisper to myself as a sudden feeling of fullness surges inside of me. Even as I was filling the structure of the weapon in my hand with gratuitous amounts of my own Od, the Prana that I was losing was being replenished in turn by some unknown source.

"Kiritsugu, your chest!" my master shouts as her eyes stare at the bright glow shining through the front of my black shirt. I myself could feel a strange warmth spreading across that part of my body where the Servant runes had been inscribed.

I relaxed my hold on the bow and sword in my hand as my sight looks down at my chest.

"I see." I say to myself as a wry grin crosses my lips. "I guess my class has some use after all."

Raising my sights upward again, I take aim at one of the trio of burning airships that was heading our way as I continue to flood the Noble Phantasm loaded onto my bow with Od. This time, however, there was no longer any hesitation in me as I practically drowned its structure with my own prana while its body starts to shine brighter than I had ever seen before.

"Caladbolg" I shout out its true name as I release it from my grip, the sword heading straight for the vessel like a comet racing through the night. It reaches its designated target within seconds, its tip drilling through the front of the ship and soon after it explodes, lighting up the sky as the burning remnants of the airship perish into nothing like dust in the wind.

I assess my reserves for a brief second and discover that they were at full capacity. So this is the ability that my class had granted me. It seems that I was in the right track when I had theorized that my class's ability had something to do with replenishing ones Prana supply. I had probably not noticed it before since I was in the midst of battle and had not taken the time to check it.

The wry smile on my face grows a bit wider. To think that my class had actually ended up covering one of my most glaring weaknesses was just too good to be true.

Trace on

In my once empty right hand, I again held another copy of Caladbolg II. Loading it to my bow just like I did the first one I indiscriminately flood it with Od, no longer worried or mindful of how much of my own prana I was pumping into its structure. I continue to monitor my reserves just to see if the effect would repeat itself and true enough it does as the same feeling of fullness envelopes me, my circuits being filled to the brim by whatever unknown source was supplying me with prana. Now that I knew exactly what ability I had at my disposal, I had everything that I needed to finish this and then some. With the Od filled structure of my weapon almost close to collapsing, I take aim at the second ship that I had chosen as my new target as I fire the hot arrow from my bow's cradle. And soon enough, as the streaking arrow of light reaches its destination, it again explodes with the same ferocity that the previous copy of Caladbolg II did. In an instant, the second ship had been reduced to rubble.

I exhale a bit. "One more." I tell myself as I prepared to trace the third and last copy of the screw-shaped Noble Phantasm.

But before I could materialize the weapon in my hand I am slightly knocked off balance as a number of grayish blurs suddenly appear out of nowhere and springs a surprise attack on Gale from all directions.

"Root damn it!" I curse as I abandon tracing Caladbolg II and reach for the reins of the wind Dragon to both get my footing back and calm my reptilian comrade down. As Gale starts to get a hold of himself again, my eyes look from side to side as I tried to find out who had attacked us. Soon enough I get my answer as I see close to a dozen stone gargoyles similar to the ones that I saw before, the rune that was inscribed on their chest glowing brightly as they hovered in the air.

"Not now..!" I shouted, expressing my discontent at the flying abominations that were blocking the clear shot that I had of the last remaining airship. I attempt to trace Caladbolg II again but my flying adversaries are quickly able to recognize what I was trying to do as one of them dives head-first at me. I could do nothing but break my concentration as I abandon my tracing and unsheathe Uncle Derf with my free hand, taking a swing at the stone beast which causes it to withdraw slightly.

"Oi kid! You can't afford to play with this bunch of cannon fodders for too long!" the sentient blade points out our obvious dilemma.

"I know that, Uncle."

I briefly contemplated on trying to get rid of them individually but I feared that it would simply end up as a fruitless fox hunt which would only waste even more time. And I could ill afford to waste any more than I already had.

I turn to the half-elf who was riding with me. "Master, you wouldn't happen to know any offensive spells now, would you?" I ask her. The only example of void magic that I've really ever had was the Duchess's and she was pretty versed in many offensive void spells. Unfortunately, I had a feeling that my master was not someone who would take an interest in learning spells that would be used for battle purposes.

She looks down in shame as she shakes her head at me, confirming my suspicions. "No, I don't know any spells like that…"

I look at three of the gargoyles that had now started to come closer to us. Two of them quickly dart towards Gale and attempts to scratch the flying reptile's scaly flesh to which the wind dragon immediately retaliates by trying to bite off one of the gargoyles' head. The gargoyle, however, is able to dodge the attempted beheading as it, together with the other one that had accompanied it, withdraws again as it joins its other brethren.

"Don't you know any spells at all that could help us right now? Void? Elf magic? Anything?" I ask while looking side to side as I eyed the flock of Gargoyles intensely. I was at a disadvantage right now. I was not particularly experienced when it comes to fighting on horseback, much less riding a dragon, since I preferred fighting on solid terrain. Aerial combat was not my specialty by any means and because these things were made to fly I was pretty much at their mercy. I could try chasing them, picking them off one by one with Uncle Derf, but I did doubt whether I could finish off all of them in time before the last of the three vessels crash lands to Aquileia. My father probably would've been able to easily dispatch of these nuisances since he could actually make his projected weapons levitate in mid-air and fire them at his enemies like arrows. I, however, did not have that same luxury.

"I really only know one spell. It's a spell that erases memories, although I've used it before to erase the Gandalfr's power that locked Saito's feelings for his home world. I think it might work, but…" my master's eyes darts around our surroundings as she looks at the gargoyles that were surrounding us in differing directions. "I've never used it in a situation like this before. It may not even work at all."

After my master's brief statement, our enemies decide that they had given us enough rest as two more of the gargoyles tries to rush at us from our left flank. In response to this, I swing Uncle Derf at them. My weapons reach was not that long though so both of my targets are easily able to avoid my attack by simply backing off. The two of them then decides to annoy me further by swiping at Gale a couple of times which startles the wind dragon, almost causing both me and my master to be thrown off, before flying back a couple of meters to join the others that were with them. They all kept bouncing around in the air as if to taunt me. Seriously, these things were really getting on my nerves now.

I wrap my left arm around my master's waist to keep her from falling off as the same hand that was also gripping Gale's reins starts to pull at it in order to settle the dragon down. I briefly glance up towards the last remaining ship that was descending towards us. I could see bits of its back portion starting to fall to the ground as its descent starts to hasten. The windstone's magic that was fueling the ship's ability to fly was probably starting to trail off. I'm sure that anytime from now this thing could literally start falling over us like a rock being dropped from a tall building. There wasn't much time left.

"I'm sorry…" I hear my master's depressed whimper as I feel her whole body shaking.

"Master?"

"I'm really sorry, Kiritsugu…" she apologizes. "T-This is my fault, isn't it? It's because I'm such an incompetent master that you end up having to do so much. I can't even do anything to help you at all." She looks back at me, eyes wet with tears as her face had an expression on it that made it look like she was pleading for forgiveness in regards to a wrong that she had done. "I'm just a burden, aren't I? I'm so sorry, Kiritsugu! I should've just followed what you told me and stayed in the Cathedral! I'm so useless!" she berates herself even more as her tears start falling on her soot-covered priestess robes.

But before I could get the chance to say anything at all to her, four more gargoyles cut in and begin their attack, and although I was able to drive them back by swinging the sentient sword at them, they were still able to wound Gale as I see a small gash on the wind dragon's forehead. This can't continue any longer than it already has. We have to do something.

"Master, you have to cast that spell now. It's the only chance that we've got to end this." I tell her as my eyes continued to look at the group of gargoyles circling around us.

"But-!"

"I trust you Master." I tell her, quickly cutting off any protest that she had planned to mount at me. "You said that you trusted me enough to believe that I'd be able to protect you, right? Well, if that's the case then I think it's only fair that I do same." I avert my eyes from the flock of flying statues for a second as I look down at my master, smiling at her fragile figure. To think that I ended up placing such a great burden unto my master's delicate shoulders. But consciously I told myself that it had to be done… because beneath that kind-heart lays the power of the legendary Void. And I needed that power right now. "I believe in you, Master. And if you can't find it in your heart to believe in yourself… then at least believe in me who believes in you."

"…Kiritsugu."

"We can't afford any more delays." I state as I prepared to trace the third copy of Caladbolg II. This would probably be the last chance that I'll get to try and shoot that thing down. If it were to descend any lower than this then I wouldn't be able to safely destroy it without damaging Aquelia in the process. "Although it's usually the Servant who has to protect his Master while she's casting her spells; I think that in this situation we'll have to do a bit of a role reversal." My right hand slowly sheathes the sentient blade back to its scabbard, an act that causes our flying enemies to start hovering closer to us. "So Master, please guard me well."

Upon seeing the seriousness engraved in both my words and expression, my master wipes the tears from her eyes using the sleeves of her robes. Gathering her resolve, she nods her head at my request. "…I'll do it."

Upon hearing her answer and the conviction laced in it, I urge Gale to quickly distance himself from the stone gargoyles as we fly away from where we were, prompting them to immediately give chase. I would need to give my master and myself ample time so that she could cast her spell and before I could try and attempt to destroy the last airship floating above us.

I hold out my now empty right hand, preparing to trace the final copy of Caladbolg II as my master pulls out her wand that she had hidden inside her white robe's sleeve and raises it high into the air. She begins to chant the incantation that would cast her chosen spell, the tip of her wand starting to glow white hot.

_"Naudiz Isaz Ehwaz…"_

I immediately felt an indescribable rush fill my body as I heard the first line of her aria, the very words themselves echoing through my very soul. It was like a call to arms. A promise of certain victory.

_"Hagalaz Yr Beorc…"_

I could feel my heart pounding at each syllable, heat spreading through every inch of my body as a shiver of euphoria erupts from the very recesses of my brain and crawls all the way down to my spine. This feeling… could it have something to do with the bond between me and my master? But whatever it was that was causing this, all I knew was it was so strong that I actually had to bite my lip so as to not go into a trance and lose myself entirely.

_"Nyd Is Algi…" _

For some unknown reason, I knew that my master's chant would soon be finished so in response I quickly stop Gale from moving as we meet the flock of Gargoyles rushing at us at full speed. I trace the screw-shaped Noble Phantasm onto my hand, loading it to the long bow that I had momentarily hung across my shoulder earlier as I raise my sights towards the approaching airship. The Gargoyles were only about ten meters from us and would most likely be able to stop me before I could fully turn the make-shift arrow into a broken phantasm. But I wasn't worried at all.

They were already too late.

_"Berkanan Man Laguz!" _my master shouts as she finishes her aria, confidence emanating from her voice, as she brings down her wand and points it at our foes akin to a conductor lowering a rejected baton.

In an instant, the small contingency of Gargoyles that was heading straight for us is immediately engulfed by a vortex of wind that had come from out of nowhere. But just as fast as it had appeared, the whirling mass of air also dissipates quickly. And in its wake it left the platoon of Gargoyles hovering in place as the runes on their chest slightly dim. Taking advantage of this opportunity, I immediately flood the structure of my weapon with Od and in seconds it's frame starts to collapse under the prana that was now stored inside every inch of its body. Steadying my aim, I release the now broken Phantasm from my bow as it sings through the air, complete annihilation awaiting anything that dared stand in its way.

At the same time I feel my master's body leaning back against me, slumping as if completely exhausted. I didn't even care to look at the exact moment when my weapon would hit its target since I was too busy trying to support her body and trying to see what was going on. As the sound of a large explosion echoes through the night sky, I look at my master with utmost worry as I see the discernable look of fatigue on her face. She was panting heavily, sweat running down her forehead as her body had seemingly lost its strength.

"Master, are you okay?" I ask tensely, slight panic seeded in my voice. I had never seen the Duchess react this way whenever she cast her spells. Was it because my master wasn't accustomed to using her spells in this manner?

"Kiritsugu… I-I did it, right?" she asks, as she turns her gaze towards me with a tired smile on her lips. "I… I was able to help, right?"

"Yes." I answer as my eyes look ahead towards the dozen or so Gargoyles that were still dumbly hovering in place before us, the handiwork of her efforts. "You did great. I'm very proud of you, Master."

Her smile widens after hearing my praise before gingerly steadying herself. "Let's go, Kiritsugu. We have to go help Saito and Miss Tabitha save Louise."

"As you command, Master." I reply, acknowledging her order. Afterwards, I urge Gale to fly towards the direction of the Gallian fleet's flagship where I was sure that the incompetent King Joseph and his Servant, the Myozuntnirn Sheffield, awaited us.

As my master continued to lean her body back on my sturdy frame, I assess the scenery that we were passing. The chaos that had taken over the remnants of the Gallian army earlier had worsened. They had deserted any attempt at reforming into any sort of formation as their forces were scattered all over the place. If the Romalian fleet were to wage a counter offensive right now than they would easily be able to destroy Gallia completely, but I guess the fear that had been engrained by threat of the firestone's power was still fresh in their mind.

"Kid! Eyes in front!" my Uncle scolds me. I look ahead and see another platoon of flying Gargoyles heading straight for us. The way that they were clustered together like a flying wall pretty much told me that their main intention was to stop us from advancing any further. I glance at my master's exhausted figure; she had still not recovered fully from casting that spell earlier so it wouldn't be a good idea to ask her to push herself any more than this. But then again, I wasn't planning on tiring my master further. After all, now that I knew what ability my class granted me, I had every intention of using and abusing it to the utmost.

"Master, brace yourself." I tell her as I direct Gale to move faster. The wind dragon enthusiastically obliges as he increases the speed of his flight exponentially causing the rush of air against my face to intensify.

As we neared the flying masses of Gargoyles that were also drawing closer to us at a very fast pace, I hold out my free hand as I trace my father's infamous seven-layered Noble Phatasm once again.

"Rho Aias!" shouting out its name I trace the legendary defensive structure onto the real world as it materializes in front of Gale. I smirk as our enemies continued to make their way towards us without even slowing down at the slightest. They had absolutely no idea what they were charging at right now.

Each petal of Rho Aias carried with it a level of defensive prowess equivalent to that of a fortress. That isn't to say that the Aias was completely impregnable, but the list of spells and weapons that could penetrate even one of its petals were very few and I was pretty sure that a platoon of Gargoyles was not among them. So it wasn't an exaggeration to say that charging against it would be the same as running your head straight into a castle wall. Of course, these things didn't know that so they had continued to recklessly rush ahead. It was already over when they had found out about their mistake.

Within the span of a single moment, the two opposing sides meet and in the next second, one side completely blows past the other. Broken bodies and stone debris fly past us as we charge ahead like a battering ram against a wall of straw, brushing through the contingency of Gargoyles as if they were nothing more than paper dolls being thrown to the side.

As I de-trace Rho Aias I urge our wind dragon comrade to continue at the same speed that it was travelling at as we continue to head straight for the enemies flagship. Upon seeing that the flagship was still indeed there, I feel a mix of relief and worry coursing through me. Relief because Saito and Miss Tabitha may have indeed been able to prevent Joseph from escaping and may have even been able to stop him completely. Worry since if that was not actually the case then I could only assume that the Mad King of Gallia had something else planned which is why he had chosen to remain even though his once great army was now in shambles.

As I neared the flagship, my reinforced sight could see the army of Gargoyles that were taking to the sky as they left the ship's upper deck. Roughly fifty meters below it, I catch a glimpse of Saito and Miss Tabitha together with a strawberry-haired priestess who I soon recognize to be the Duchess as they fought a group of six gargoyles that were trying to throw them off Big Sister Irukukuu's back. All three of them were handling the situation fairly well as they were able to pick off the Gargoyles one by one. As I command the dragon to get closer to their location, I see another gargoyle slowly sneaking at them from above, trying to take advantage of the three figures being occupied by his kin. Sensing the danger that this would-be assassin presented, I instantly trace a simple arrow and load it onto the bow that I held in my left hand. Focusing my aim as I take into account the direction where it was heading and the speed that it was moving at. After careful deliberation, I allow my instincts to kick in as I release the arrow from my bow causing the blade-tipped projectile to head straight for the spot where I predicted my target would be when it reached it. Just as the gargoyle was about to take a swipe at Saito's neck with its claws, my arrow's tip buries itself into the stone figures head, the force of its momentum causing it to go a bit off balance. This catches the attention of the young Duchess as she finally notices the enemy hovering above her familiar's head. Quickly aiming her wand at the flying thing, she fires a spell at it which causes its figure to burst into a thousand pieces.

I could see Saito look towards our direction as he catches a glimpse of us after dispatching of another gargoyle. The trio plus dragon soon makes their way towards me and my master as they continued to fight off the flying pest that had continued to attack their group while I provided them with a bit of covering fire. Surprisingly, after the trio was able to distance themselves by about a hundred meters from the flagship, the enemy units start to withdraw, giving up their pursuit as they instead go back to where the Gallian flagship was.

"Kiritsugu! Tiffa!" Saito calls out to us as our two parties meet. "What happened to those ships earlier?"

"I've already dispatched of them. What about your side?"

"We've got a big problem in our hands right now!" he informs me.

"Problem? What problem?"

"A gargoyle!" the young Duchess quickly cuts in and answers my question. "It's carrying the last firestone and its heading for Aquileia! We have to stop it or the city will be completely destroyed."

I see. So we weren't out of the woods yet, huh.

"Miss Vallière, how exactly does King Joseph activate the power of the firestone?" I ask the pinkette.

"Sheffield was able to steal my spell and give it to her master using the Founder's Mirror. He uses it to activate the firestones from the bridge of his ship."

"How long does it take for him to cast the spell?" I inquire further as I determined what course of action I should take.

"About a minute or so, but it won't matter once that gargoyle reaches Aquileia!"

"So we just have to stop Joseph from casting, right?" I murmur to myself, it wasn't so much as a question but rather a confirmation of what exactly I had to do. I prompt Gale to move a few feet ahead so I could get a clear view of the airship. Opening the palm of my free right hand, I ready myself to project the weapon that I had chosen to use.

Trace on.

For the fourth time, I trace a copy of the screw-shaped Noble Phantasm, Caladbolg II.

"Master, regarding our discussion from earlier," I converse with the half-elf who was sitting right in front of me as I start to stand up on Gale's back. I intentionally kept my gaze glued to the flagship of the Gallian army as I began flooding my weapon's frame with Od, the runes engraved on my chest starting to heat up and glow once more. "I'll ask you one more time. Please, take back that order." I plead my case to her again as I ready myself to fire the broken phantasm that was being cradled by my bow.

Right now, there were only two things that we could do to prevent the disaster that was threatening the city Aquileia. The first was to intercept the Gargoyle before the firestone in its hand is used. The second was to stop Joseph from even casting at all. And as of the moment, the latter was the most viable option that we had since I could just simply destroy the airship where he was aboard, killing him in the process. I highly doubt that he'd be able to continue casting once his dead.

"…Master." I urge her to answer my question, the steel in my voice apparent. It honestly didn't matter whether she agreed to my terms or not. I had already made up my mind. I was going to stop Joseph and prevent the chaos that I had seen tonight from repeating in some other place. If I had to sever my bonds with my master in order to do that, then so be it.

I wait for her answer but she continues to keep her lips sealed. I guess, in a way, I could interpret that as her refusal to grant me my request.

I didn't pursue the matter any further nor did I let out a single sigh. I had no right to be disappointed with her answer. Feelings of disappointment would only be valid if I had actually hoped for even the slightest chance that she would agree with me. But I didn't expect anything of the sort. My master was stubborn and I knew for a fact that she would not go back on something that she firmly believed in. Unfortunately, I was just as stubborn as she was.

I let loose the Broken Phantasm from my bow in cold blood as it shoots into the air, making its way to where the bridge of the airship was. In the next second all of this would be over soon-..!"

"What in Blue's name?" I whisper to myself as I see a mysterious figure jump onto one of the flying Gargoyle's back.

In a show of insanity, the unknown individual moves in front of the screw-shaped projectile's path, standing in its way just when it was only a couple of meters from the bridge where King Joseph was. And as if that had not been enough, I am further surprised by what immediately transpires next. Right as the broken Caladbolg II was about to hit this new target, the mysterious figure throws what looked to be some sort of ring at the broken weapon. Instantly, the small trinket shines a purplish hue as its light swallows the entire frame of the projectile. And soon after the light fades, I see that Caladbolg II was no more as it had completely vanished from existence.

Baffled by the miracle that had just transpired before my reinforced eyes; I focus my gaze on the person who had seemingly done the impossible. Looking at this person's dark colored and very revealing dress that only served to emphasize her alluring figure together with her long hair whose hue greatly resembled my mother's though they were a shade darker, I was immediately able to recognize her gender as female. Focusing my gaze on her even more, I start to discern more of her physical qualities. For one thing, her facial features could only be described as somewhat austere. She was beautiful without a doubt but it was not enough to offset the cold feeling that I felt upon looking at her. Beneath her eyes I could see sharp spikes of maroon that were etched into her cheeks, creating an illusion that made it seem like she was crying daggers. The most noteworthy feature that she had however was the one that I saw on her forehead as I notice a number of glowing runes etched on her very flesh the same way that they had been etched onto mine.

"The Myozuntnirn: Sheffield." I tell no one in particular as I recognize the person who had stopped the broken phantasm that I had fired from my bow. She was exactly how Uncle Derf and the Duchess had described her to me; an enemy who was never short of tricks the same way that my father was never lacking in swords. As I continued to stare at her, for some reason I could feel her eyes on me as well. This strange feeling was only reinforced when her left hand started moving in a manner that seemed to taunt me to come closer and face her. "It looks like we're going to have to do this the hard way."

"You didn't actually expect it to be that easy now, did you?" my Uncle scoffs.

"You can't fault a guy for at least hoping, right?" I shrugged as I de-materialized the bow in my hand. I glance at my master who was looking back and had raised her head to stare up at me. "Master, please go with Saito and the others. Try and stop the Gargoyle before it reaches Aquileia."

"Kiritsugu, what about you?" she asks me.

"I'm going to go after Joseph." I reply. "So it's either going to be you and the others being able to intercept that gargoyle, or I stop Joseph before he can finish activating that firestone."

"I'm going to go with you then!" she protested at me. "I can definitely help just like I did earlier. I'm not useless anymore… so please…"

I place both of my hands on her shoulders as I look at her, the expression on my face soft and honest. "I know that you're not useless, Master. But I have a feeling that they'll need your help more than I will."

"But still!"

"We don't have much time. I'm asking you to trust my judgment on this. You have to believe me on this one, Master." I continue to try and persuade her.

Though the look that she had still told me that she was not very supportive of my decision, she nonetheless nods her head in agreement. "Even so… I'm still worried about you, Kiritsugu."

This statement both irked me yet still made me slightly blush. Though I was going to be facing one of my father's greatest foes who had nearly killed him in their battle, I was still confident in my skills. Also she didn't have the infamous steel giant Jormungand with her so it wasn't like I would be fighting with the odds stacked against me like my father did, though she still had an entire army backing her up. Still, for my master to be this worried about me, I felt was unnecessary… but that doesn't mean that I didn't appreciate it.

"Don't worry, Tiffa." Saito cuts in on our conversation. "I'm going to come with him to make sure that he comes back safely."

"Are you sure? You might end up just getting in the way, you know." I told the black-haired Chevalier in order to both irritate him and dissuade him from his decision.

But instead of taking the bait, Saito simply smiles it off which somewhat throws me off. "Hey, I am the Gandalfr you know. I can at least swing a sword so I definitely won't end up being dead weight to you or anything. Plus, I do have a bone to pick with that guy so I'm definitely coming along no matter what."

"Fine, suit yourself." I shrugged at the Chevalier who had offered his assistance to me, though inwardly I commended him for his courage.

As my master and Saito change places, she now together with Miss Tabitha and the young Duchess while Saito was riding behind me, I look back at the princess of Gallia.

"Please take care of my master." I politely request to the blue-haired mage. She was probably one of the few people in this world that I could whole-heartedly trust mainly because she seemed quite similar to her counterpart in my world.

"I will." she answers.

"Saito." the young Duchess calls out to the person behind me. "Come back, okay. No matter what, you have to come back to me."

The Chevalier simply nods, raising his thumb as he takes in his master's order.

With the goodbyes over and done with, I decide to not waste any more time as I grab the reins on Gale's neck. Just as I was about to direct the dragon towards the airship, I hear my master's voice one more time.

"Kiritsugu." She looks straight at me and I could see my master's inner steel shining through her eyes. "About the order that I gave you… I won't take it back." she informs me, conviction laced in both her voice and expression.

"Master, I've already tried to disobey that same order just a few minutes ago." I answer back, citing my earlier attempt at King Joseph's life. "Order or not, I won't follow it."

"I'm not going to force you to follow it either." she replies to me much to my surprise. "But I know that you'll find another way to stop King Joseph without resorting to killing him. I believe in you so I know that you'll definitely figure something out."

I didn't answer her. After hearing that, how could I?

So she expected me to prevent the City of Aquelia from being destroyed, while at the same time not getting my hands dirty by killing the person who was the mastermind of this whole thing?

So she believed that I could save the lives of thousands of people without even sacrificing one person?

Such a thing… Such a thing was impossible!

I prompt Gale to head towards the flagship of Gallia, leaving my master without so much as a simple 'yes' or 'no' answer. I just didn't want to give her false hope.

No matter how strong she might think I was, the truth is I am still weak.

I don't have the power to save everyone.

-(Scene Break)-

"So that's her, huh?" I whisper to myself as I look at the cold eyes of the woman standing before us, surrounded by a great number of Gargoyles that bore her mark on their chest. Behind her was the Gallian flagships's bridge that housed the mad King whose insanity I had to put a stop to. Though Saito and I were both looking down from atop our wind dragon that hovered a couple of meters from where the ominous woman was stationed, I could still feel her murderous stare on us as a cold chill runs down my spine. "The Myozuntnirn: Sheffield."

The anxiousness that I was feeling right now was on a completely different level to when I was preparing myself for what I thought was going to be a war between two nations. As crazy as it sounds, the anxiety that I felt then actually paled in comparison to what I was experiencing right now. This person before me, just like my father, was one of the Servants of the Void. The Mind of God who had the ability to take control of any magical item or artifact the same way that my father could use any weapon in existence. As one of the King of Swords' most hated foes, she had fought him bitterly and was almost able to kill him during their final battle based on the stories that the Duchess and Uncle Derf had told me.

She was, in many ways, a legend in her own right.

And for me to come face-to-face with a legend like her, someone who had given my father all that he could handle, I couldn't help but feel this strange mix of worry, fear, and excitement that had started to surface from within me. A part of me wondered how I stacked up against her. Was I actually skilled enough to fight her on equal terms? Maybe even beat her?

"You afraid, kid?" my Uncle asks, probably noticing the stiffness in my actions.

"This is one of the very few times that I've felt so uneasy." I admit to the sentient blade stowed behind my back. "So I guess I must be."

"Good."

"Why exactly is that good, Uncle?" I ask, slightly taken aback by his response. I would've thought that he'd start chiding me for saying something like that.

"Cause it means that you're not stupid." Uncle Derf replies which causes me to smirk a bit.

"I'll be fine, Uncle. So don't worry about me." I then look past the female figure and intently stare at the Bridge of the flagship. As nervous as I was, that didn't mean that I'd let something like this affect me. My objective was already clear; and that was to stop Joseph and get out of here as quickly as possible.

I survey the field that we would be doing combat in. The number of Gargoyles that both hovered in the air and were littered across the upper deck was very daunting. I'd estimate that there were close to three dozen of them altogether that was surrounding us.

"There's so many of them." Saito who was riding behind me voices his worry in regards to our current predicament. "You do have a plan, right?"

I nod.

"So what's the plan then?"

"Beat Sheffield, kill Joseph, and stop the firestone from exploding." I answer him honestly which was my way of saying: 'No, I have absolutely no plan whatsoever so we'll most likely have to make things up as we go along.'

"Straight to the point, huh?" this time, Saito's Derflinger was the one who voices his opinion. "I like your style, Sword boy."

The Chevalier on the other hand wasn't all that impressed. "Geez, I'm starting to regret not taking Julio on his offer." he sighs.

"What offer?" I quickly asked him, my interest piqued by his words.

"He said that he'd give me something that I might find useful." Saito informs me. "I refused it though."

"And why is that?" I continue to probe further. I would've thought that he would have taken the pompous-looking priest on whatever he was offering since, based on their interaction from earlier today, they seemed to have a cordial relationship with each other.

"Hey, you're the one who said that we should all be careful of the Pope." he points out, reminding me of the fact that I had warned them against His Holiness and Sir Chesare as well.

"So you would easily believe someone who you had just met?" I ask Saito, questioning his naivety. I would've thought that the Chevalier with me would be a bit more difficult to convince, especially after I had pretty much mocked and shown him up at every opportunity that I got.

"Of course not." he tells me off. "No matter what you say, I'll always believe that I'm the one who Louise was meant to summon. Also, I'm still not sold on all the stuff that you told us before."

"Fair enough." I reply. I could understand the reason for his reluctance. If he were to admit that I was telling the truth, then by default he would also be conceding the fact that his summoning was simply brought about by mere chance.

"But Tiffa has faith in you." he continues which silences me for a moment. "I know Tiffa. When it comes to judging people she's rarely ever wrong. So I've decided to put my faith in you too."

I give him a brief glance. "Well, hopefully, neither of us ends up regretting anything."

And with that, we both jump from Gale's back and drop down to the Upper deck of the flagship below us, my reinforced limbs and Saito's legs that had been strengthened by the power of Gandalfr absorbing the shock of our respective fall. Upon nailing our landing we quickly draw the sentient blades sheathed inside each of our scabbards as we prepare to engage in battle. And right on cue, Sheffield also catapults herself from the balcony of the bridge so as to meet with us – the two other Servants of the Void.

She regards both of us with a welcoming yet somehow frightful stare, her purplish eyes which resembled that of a cat's looking at the two men in front of her like a pair of mice.

"It's been too long, Gandalfr." she greets Saito like a long lost friend whom she had just been reunited with. She then turns her sights towards me as a look that I could only describe as amused curiosity reigns over her austere face. "And you must be the one who was able to defeat two of the Elemental Siblings." she drones on though I didn't outwardly admit or confirm it to her. "After hearing about that, I made sure to keep a close eye on you. To think that you were actually the newly summoned Heart of God: Liveslatille."

Both of my eyebrows shot up as I heard this. How could she have found out about that? Could it be that she had some sort of visual link with her Gargoyles?

"I am the Mind of God, Myozuntnirn: Sheffield." She formally introduces herself to me as I continue to assess her more thoroughly. From the stories that I've heard, her whole body was supposed to be decorated in an array of rings, charms, and other magical artifacts but it seems that she was not wearing anything of the sort with the exception of a few gems on her fingers. I could only guess that since she had not met anyone who was as fearsome as my father, she probably never thought that she'd need to use them at all. "To say that I am very excited to finally meet you is an understatement."

"And why is that?" I question the reason for her enthusiasm of wanting to see me.

"Just as the Windalfr and the Gandalfr are regarded as a pair, we two are also seen in the same light." she explains. It actually made me shudder how courteous her manner of speech was. But instead of helping me relax in her presence, it only made the aura that surrounded her that more chilling. "After seeing that little display of power that you used to destroy those three ships, it only made me wish that we could've worked together for the benefit of my master. Just imagining the things that we could have done, I can't help but feel disappointed."

I see, so she was most likely using her Gargoyles to serve as both her eyes and ears in the battlefield. That's really the only way that she could've seen me firing those three copies of Caladbolg II.

"I thank you for your compliment, but I already have a master." I tell her as I outright deny any chance of us collaborating together. "Also, I doubt that I would've liked serving under your master. There are just too many things that I don't like about him – hence, the reason why I'm here."

"Yes, that is unfortunate."

"Will you two stop stalling already!" the Chevalier with me yells at both of us, probably growing tired of the idle conversation that I was having with our soon-to-be enemy. "We have to stop Joseph from casting now!"

"You shouldn't rush too much, Gandalfr. My master won't detonate the firestone until he is sure that he can get the greatest amount of effect from it." she assures the Chevalier with me. I grit my teeth after hearing that. It looks like that bastard is going to try and kill as many people as he possibly could. "But while you two are here, you might as well entertain me."

The runes on her forehead start to shine and in response to this the Gargoyles surrounding us start to inch closer, ready to come at our necks at any given time. Though they were nothing like the miniature Alviss that the Myozuntnirn of my world had used during her encounters with my father, there was no doubt in my mind that these things would prove to be just as problematic.

"Hey novice!" my Uncle Derf calls out to this world's version of himself. "I bet I can smash more of those things than you can."

"Hah! You're on, old rusty!" Saito's Derflinger replies, accepting my Uncle's challenge.

The Gargoyles begin rushing towards us in mass as both Saito and I start our own attack, dividing the company of Gargoyles between the two of us.

Having come under the tutelage of Captain Guiche for many years, I had been trained on how to fight in many kinds of battle situations. One of them was of course how to fight against multiple enemies which he taught me with the use of his Steel Valkyries. There a couple of basic rules that one has to know when going up against a superior number of foes by yourself.

The first was to always take the initiative.

Even before any of Sheffield's stone puppets could get close to us, I was already on the move as I rush at them with Saito quickly following behind. In one swift motion, I cut the gargoyle that I had chosen as my first victim diagonally with my sword, the blade in my hand working its way from its left ribcage and exiting past its right shoulder. There was no point on simply standing your ground and trying to weather the storm of bodies coming straight at you. In this type of situation, offense was really the best defense.

The next rule of fighting multiple opponents was to avoid getting flanked at all cost.

"Saito, make sure that you keep moving." I tell the Chevalier as I swing at the next Gargoyle to get near me, cutting it in half by the waist before moving to my left and finding a new target.

One of the best ways to avoid being surrounded was to always be on the move. Planting yourself in one spot was dangerous since it only made it easier for your enemies to surround you. It was one of the very first lessons that I ended up learning after getting punched in the stomach for the umpteenth time by the Captain's Valkyries.

I slash at two more of the stone abominations, beheading one before sliding my foot to the side and raking the others' chest with Uncle Derf's blade. Beside me I could hear Saito dispatching a couple of Gargoyles as well. Above us, bits and pieces of rabble started to rain over our heads as the sound of Gale fending off any ambusher's that might come from up top echoes throughout the sky. I was thankful to the blue beast for continuing to aid us since because of his help we really only had to deal with the opponents that were in front of us. And because they were only coming from one way instead of being scattered in different directions, it was much easier to manage against them despite the fact that we were outnumbered.

As I cut another one of my stone adversaries in half, one of the remaining Gargoyles tries to mount an ambush by attacking me at the blind spot on my left side. I, however, was able to sense its presence and as a counter measure I quickly trace an estoc, a type of long sword that was quite popular in Tristain, with my left hand as I drive its tip straight through its chest, the projected blade stopping it from taking another step forward. As the now impaled Gargoyle tries to swipe at my head in futility, three more of its companions' jump at me from the right. I instinctively move out of their way allowing all three of them to pile on their impaled brother who was immediately pushed down to the ground by their weight. And before either one of them could turn their sights toward me again, my reinforced arm was already on the move as my sentient blade beheads all three of my foes in succession. As the now headless things start to topple to the floor, I immediately rush to the impaled gargoyle that was still moving on the ground as I drive my sword at its face, crushing its head in an instant.

"Hah! That's nine for me!" my Uncle declares with pride. "You mad, Novice!"

"Tsk! Damn antique!" Saito's Derflinger rages. "Oi Partner, you've gotta pick it up. We're behind by three to them already!"

"Derf, even if you say that-."

"Partner, behind you!" the talking blade in Saito's hand shouts in panic. I briefly glance at Saito who was just a few feet from where I was as I see another Gargoyle swipe at him from behind with its sharp claws. The Chevalier was able to cut off one of its limbs but it was not enough to kill the thing as it attempts to wage another attack against the black-haired swordsman with its remaining arm.

I run to Saito's side, reinforcing my limbs to the utmost as I quickly sever the thing's head from its body. As the dispatched Gargoyle falls on its knees, I turn my attention towards Saito.

"Try to beat them as fast as you can with one or two attacks if possible" I advise him. "There are a lot of them but they're not that skilled at all. So go for fatal strikes like headshots to get rid of them faster."

Another rule when it comes to facing multiple opponents was to defeat as many of them as possible while using the least amount of effort that you can afford. This rule applies especially when the gap in skill between you and your enemies was greatly in your favor. The quicker you can put down your current target, the less energy you end up spending which means you'll have more in reserve for your other enemies.

He nods at me. "Yeah, I got it. Thanks."

"Heh heh! There goes number ten." my uncle says smugly, his words directed to the other sentient blade that was near-by.

"Oi! That's cheating!" the Derflinger in Saito's hand responds sounding aggrieved for some reason. "Stop kill-stealing old man!"

"Heh! It's not my fault that your blade's so dull! I doubt that thing can even cut through wet paper anyway!" the sentient blade in my hand continues on, fanning the flames of this nonsensical rivalry that he had with his alternate self. If I wasn't in the midst of battle right now, I most likely would've already smacked my face with the palm of my hand due to exasperation.

Surveying the field once more, I see that we had effectively eliminated about two thirds of the opposing forces. At this rate, we'll be able to quickly take care of the leftover gargoyles and corner Sheffield without too much trouble. My inner pessimist however was telling me that the female before us wasn't just going to continue to stand there and let things go so smoothly.

"Impressive," Sheffield suddenly speaks, ending her momentary silence. "That was quite the show. But I think it would be even more entertaining if we were to add a few more things to the mix."

She then reaches her hand into a small pouch hanging from her waist and grabs a number of small seeds from inside of it. She the throws them in front of her and as they fell onto the floor of the upper deck, I notice the runes etched on Sheffield's forehead shining brightly again. And just like that, the seeds start to break open as they emit a violet light similar to the glow of Sheffield's mark as whatever was inside of it starts to expand and grow at an exponential rate. In seconds they had already taken the same form of the Gargoyles that we had been facing earlier.

"Is that it?" the Chevalier comments as he looks at the twelve newly formed Gargoyles in front of us. "That's nothing. We'll just beat those things like we did the earlier ones."

But instead of being offended by what Saito had said, Sheffield simply smiles at us. The absolute confidence that she was exuding was making me want to slap the black-haired Chevalier for opening his big mouth. As the old saying goes, 'one should just let sleeping dragons' lie'. She definitely had something else prepared for us.

She slowly brings her left hand close to her lips as my eyes see a small ring on her middle finger. Even with my enhanced sense of sight it was hard for me to determine its shape given how translucent its metal was. As she gently places a small kiss on the transparent ring it begins to shine with the same violet hue as that of the runes of Myozintrin.

"What the heck!" Saito yelps, expressing the shock that I had hidden myself as the number of Gargoyles start to increase more and more. Soon, they were now four times their original number. It was like all our efforts from earlier had been wasted. I briefly glance at the loud-mouthed Chevalier, giving him a very peeved look which he could only reply with a nervous grin of his own. "Well, there's no point in waiting for them to attack us. So we might as well go at them first." he says to himself before charging ahead.

"Wait, Saito!" I shout at him. Something about those newly made Gargoyles just didn't seem right. They had seemingly appeared out of nowhere unlike the other ones that had sprouted from those strange seeds that Sheffield had thrown to the floor. Why was that?

But the Chevalier had already engaged the new crop of Gargoyles, unmindful of my warning to him. As he plunges the tip of his sword straight through one of the Gargoyle's head, we both find that my suspicions were indeed warranted. Saito's body quickly passes his intended target's body as he very nearly loses his footing. The figure of the stone puppet that should've been beheaded by Saito's attack slightly dims before regaining its proper form.

"This is-… Gah!" he voices out in pain as one of the other Gargoyles was able to cut his chest, its sharp claws ripping through his blue shirt as he just barely gets away in time.

As he withdraws from our enemies and returns to his spot near me, we both stare at this new problem that had presented itself before us.

"An illusion." I whisper to myself. Sparing Sheffield one more look, I focus my eyes on the glowing ring on her finger. It was most likely one of the many magical artifacts that she had in her disposal. "This thing just got a bit more complicated."

"But they're just illusions, right? It's not like they can attack us."

"Didn't you learn anything from what happened to you just now?" I reply back. "Even if they're not real, their presence is enough to confuse your sense of sight. If you go at them recklessly then you're simply leaving yourself open to getting attacked by the real ones."

"I guess you're right." he concedes to my reasoning. "Kiritsugu, don't you have a weapon that can hit all of them at once. That way, it won't matter if they're illusions or not."

"It's not like I don't have anything like that in my disposal." I tell him hesitantly. My father's armory did include a number of anti-army Noble Phantasms that could destroy these things in one fell swoop. There was only one problem though. "But almost all of them are too destructive to use in such a closed space. If I use them here, chances are that this ship will end up getting destroyed in the process." I then look up to see that Gale himself was having a hard time dealing with the aerial units that were above us. "I also don't think that Gale would be able to rescue us the moment that we start falling down with the ship."

"So what are we supposed to do then?" he asks me.

"Switch to defense," I then tap the wooden floor of the deck with my foot. "Use the floorboards."

"What the heck do you mean by-… Look out!" he shouts in panic as one of our adversaries starts to charge head-first at me, its sharp horns ready to bury itself on my chest.

I sharpen my senses, most especially my sense of hearing. A second later, a sly grin crosses my lips as I run to meet the rushing figure.

"Kiritsugu!" Saito yells at me. I disregard his warning though since unlike his reckless attack earlier, I was fully aware of what I was doing.

With the utmost confidence, I ran past the Gargoyle coming straight at me as its body blurs like the illusion that it actually was. The other Gargoyle that followed it though, I knew, was the real deal so with one swing I separate its upper body from its lower half. I then stand my ground again as I waited for them to make the first attack.

I didn't even have to look at Saito to know that what I just did had shocked him greatly. "H-How did you-?"

I tap the floor with my foot again, this time with a hint of impatience. "Use the floorboards." I repeated, hoping that he'd be able to figure out what exactly I was trying to convey to him so that I didn't have to spell it out in more detail. He starts tapping the floor of the upper deck with his foot. After a while, his face suddenly lights up like a candle being lit as he gives me an assuring nod. It looks like he's finally noticed it as well.

One of my mentors once told me this, 'The Battlefield is not merely composed of soldiers and the weapons that they wield. It also includes the terrain where the battle is being waged.' After the countless hours that I've spent simulating and reenacting every conceivable battle situation during my spars with my teachers, I've finally gained a level of aptitude for using the terrain around me to my advantage and even turning it into an extension of my senses. Since the fake gargoyles were nothing more than illusions, they wouldn't have any weight at all. So it's only natural that when they start moving, they won't make any noise or cause the floor to creak. With this in mind, one could effectively determine whether the Gargoyle attacking them was real or not by using the wooden floor of the upper deck as a sort of pseudo extension of one's sense of hearing.

Also, this situation wasn't actually that new to me anyway. I was quite prepared for this sort of thing thanks in-part to one of the Duchess's void spells: 'Illusion'. I should probably thank the young Duchess for the fact that her older-self had trained me well for these types of situations. Then again, I do remember all those times when she was toying with me before I could figure out a way to counter that particular spell of hers... so maybe I shouldn't be that grateful to her after all.

My ears quickly pick up the sound of something approaching from the back as another gargoyle attacks me from behind. Turning my body, I swing at my stone assailant's head, as the severed body part rolls to ground before disappearing into the nothingness.

Three more of them attack me from the front. Repositioning myself, I ignore the two on my left as I aim my strike on the target that was standing on my right flank. After Sheffield had finally noticed that I was using the floorboards of the upper deck to determine whether the Gargoyles attacking me were real or not, she orders some of them to start flying a bit. This did not deter me though since I then started to try and sense the wind that was being stirred by their flapping wings and the sound that it was producing.

But the Gargoyle illusions that Sheffield had summoned were not completely useless though.

"I applaud the both of you for making it this far," she then maliciously smirks at me. I guess she was aware of the condition that I was in. "But I wonder how long you can keep this up, Liveslatille."

I bit my lip, my breathing slightly erratic. I could no longer stop myself from wincing as the pain radiating from my back up to my front increases.

To think that she had noticed it so soon…

Though Saito could still continue without much trouble, I on the other hand was already nearing my physical limit. The damage that I had incurred from earlier when three of the Aias' petals were broken was starting to show. As useful as reinforcement was, it could not fix something that was already damaged to begin with. In fact, my constant movement was doing me more harm than good since they were only exacerbating my internal wounds. If this keeps up then I'm not sure how long I'd be able to last. That's why I knew that I had to find a way to end this battle soon. But even knowing that, I still couldn't effectively mount a real counter-offensive since I had to wait for my enemies to make the first move before I could attack.

"Partner!" I hear Saito's Derflinger shout again. I look back and see that the Chevalier was a good distance away from me now. Though I was able to advance a bit since I was able to differentiate the fakes from the real ones, the Chevalier was having a harder time of duplicating my success. I should've expected this. Telling someone to do something that they're not really accustomed to doing was just too much. Even I had to spend a couple of years in hard training before I was able to acquire and hone this skill.

"Kritsugu, don't worry about me!" he says after noticing that I was looking at him. "Just get Sheffield and-… Gah!"

"Saito!" I shout out to him as one of the Gargoyles ram its shoulder against his chest. The Chevalier's body is thrown against the railing of the ship, the impact of the attack strong enough to cause him to lose his grip on his sword as he drops it on the floor.

"Damn…" Saito curses as he starts to breath heavily. Without the physical boost that Gandalfr had provided him, the stress of the battle had started to show on him almost instantly.

I try to run to his aid but I soon found myself surrounded by a number of Gargoyles as well. I can't believe I ended being this careless. Because I had remained on this spot for too long, I had given my opponents enough time to surround me. I could try to fight my way past them but even if I did I wasn't sure that I would be able to reach Saito in time.

As I see our enemies start inching closer towards Saito, ready to either push him over board or rip him apart with their sharp claws, I do the only thing that I could think of to help the Chevalier in the predicament that he was in.

Opening my father's armory I immediately trace the first weapon that I see inside of it.

"Saito, here!" I yell as I throw the traced weapon in my hand, an intricately designed halberd that was well over two meters long, with all of my might.

The great weapon surges past the gaps in-between the stone bodies that were blocking my path. For a second, I was a bit worried that I may have thrown it too strong or a bit off course which would've prevented the Chevalier from catching it. But Saito dispels my uneasiness by catching the very end of its shaft just before the weapon went completely past him.

"This feeling…" Saito then proceeds to thrust the weapon forward, the strength of its strike enough to splinter the body of the attacking Gargoyle in half. He then draws the halberd back as the runes on his left hand start to shine a blinding blue. His hand moves closer to the edged portion of the halberd and in response the two half-crescents that flanked the central blade of the weapon start to move on their own as its shaft also shortens. In less than a second, the once great Halberd had transformed into a massive axe. Grabbing the Halberd-turned-Axe's handle with both hands; he swings it straight at the Gargoyle that had tried to sneak behind him from the left side as he beheads it in one swift motion. It took me a couple of seconds before I was able to recognize what weapon I had provided the Chevalier with, and the realization of the said weapon's identity only served to further increase my astonishment.

The weapon that I had supplied Saito with was called the 'God Force'. A Noble Phantasm that was said to have five different forms and was used extensively by my father during the purging of the orc settlements in Romalia. The very sight of one of this weapon's five forms is enough to send hundreds of the greenish ghouls into hiding. However, its high level of complexity prevented me from using it effectively and thus I had rarely traced it in a fight.

As my attention was divided between the dispatching of the other Gargoyles and watching Saito wield the traced weapon that I had given him with relative ease, the runes on the back of his hand continuing to shine like a star in the darkness, I couldn't help but smirk at this development. I guess this person really was the Left Hand of God: The Gandalfr.

"Looks like that guy can use your father's God Force without a hitch." my Uncle comments again after his blade beheads yet another one of our enemies.

"I guess." I answer flatly

"Aren't you a bit jealous though?"

"A little," I admit to him. A part of me had always thought that as the son of the King of Swords it was only right and proper for me to try and master as many of the weapons stored in his armory that I possibly could. So to see someone else wielding one of my father's most notable blades with a level of mastery that I could never hope to achieve was slightly damaging to my pride. "But on the bright side, at least I won't have to worry about Miss Vallière blaming me for her Servant dying."

"You do have a point there."

As Saito is finally able to rid himself of the Gargoyle's surrounding him, he makes his way closer to where I was, retrieving his Derflinger on the way as he starts to wield both axe and sword with each hand against all the other stone abominations that attempted to get in his way.

"Thanks for the help." he expresses his gratitude towards me.

"It's not a big deal." I reply. "But with the way things are going, this is never going to end." I look at Sheffield who had again thrown another batch of her magical seeds onto the ground as a new wave of Gargoyles sprout from within them. If things were to remain as they were, it was either we finally end up running out of time or we succumb to fatigue ourselves. "We can't let this drag on any longer."

"You're right." he agrees. "So have you thought of any real plans?"

I look at the shining runes that were engraved on Sheffield's forehead. The Gargoyles, both real and fake, seem to be getting their power from her. If I could somehow find a way to get close enough to land a hit on her and maybe even kill her in the process then I'm sure that those stone puppets and illusions would also disappear. But killing this person was not going to be as easy as simply driving a sharp blade right through her heart. I stare down at the small accessories adorning her fingers. From what I remember, one of the magical items that the Sheffield of my world had always kept with her was a ring of revival that could absorb any fatal blow, even one that came from a broken Caliburn. Even if I was able to somehow get close to her, just stabbing her with one of my swords may not be enough. If that was the case then I was really only left with one option. I guess I'll have to use 'that' on her then. The only problem that I had to get around now was how to get close enough to her so that I could execute what I had in mind.

"I do, though I need to get close to her quick for me to do it." I inform him, the tone of my voice low so that our enemy wouldn't be able to listen in on us. I then glance at the horde of Gargoyles that was standing between us and the female Servant of the Void. "But I doubt that those things will just let us waltz in unharmed."

"…So you just need to get close enough, right?" he asks me as if to verify what it was that had to be done, the resigned tone of his voice somewhat unnerving me a bit.

"What are you planning exactly?"

He smiles, trying to look as confident as he could though I could sense that whatever he had in mind was something that he would've preferred not to do. "Don't worry. This will definitely work… probably."

"That doesn't sound convincing at all, you know?"

"Stop complaining and just follow my lead, okay!" he scolds me. He widens his stance. The massive axe on his left morphing itself into something that greatly resembled a bladed-shield as he tightens his grip on the sword that he held in his right hand. He then places his left foot forward as if readying himself to take on all the Gargoyles in front of us by himself... Wait a minute! Don't tell me this idiot's going to-. "And make sure that whatever you have planned works perfectly!"

"Wait Saito, don't!"

But the Chevalier completely ignores my warning as he makes a mad dash towards the wave of Gargoyles that stood before us. With shield and sword in hand he starts hacking away at both real and fake gargoyles alike, unmindful of the damage that his body was receiving.

"You idiot!" I shout out as I rush towards the army of gargoyles as well. If Saito was willing to stake his life on this attack than I have to make sure that it didn't go to waste. This may be the only chance that we might get.

Placing my empty left hand behind my back, I rush forward until I was now trailing just a few feet behind the Chevalier, my right hand that was wielding Uncle Derf fending off any enemy who tried to attack us from behind. At this distance I could see the claw marks all over his shoulders and the deep scratches on his neck. Having abandoned trying to differentiate what was real and what was an illusion, Saito had left himself open to the gargoyles' assault. The only semblance of defense that he had that was keeping him alive was the shield-shaped Noble Phantasm that he carried on his left which prevented him from incurring any fatal wounds.

This person… I won't allow his efforts to be wasted.

"His Blood is of Iron and His Heart of Glass"

I whisper as I reach just a bit deeper into my father's armory. I disguise a second into an eternity as I begin my search for the object hidden in this vast cache that would lead us to victory. Soon enough, I'm able to find my chosen weapon as I prepare myself to project it onto the real world when the right moment came.

The Chevalier continues his berserker-like charge, sweeping the bladed edge of his sword at everything that was standing in his path. Sheffield was probably starting to feel a bit of uneasiness too since she had started to frantically throw more and more of her magical seeds at us. But despite this, the black-haired Chevalier continues to press forward.

"Damn you, Gandalfr!" she curses Saito for his tenacity, the Chevalier just a few meters from his target. In a rush of panic, she grabs a fistful of seeds from her pouch and throws it directly at Saito. The new batch of Gargoyles was no longer attempting to cut him to pieces but instead had focused on simply trying to stop him from reaching their master. "Stop him you fools! Stop him!" she orders her stone puppets as they start to grab Saito's body in mass in an attempt to pin him to the floor.

Just before Saito's body could be completely taken down to the ground by the gargoyles, he is able to unleash one last swing that was aimed at Sheffield's neck, but the attack fell just a foot short of its intended target as the ominous woman jumps out of its reach

I notice Sheffield grinning slightly after seeing the rampaging Chevalier finally subdued by her pawns, regaining her confidence little by little. That smug expression on her face didn't last long though. While she was still suspended in mid-air, I quickly seize the opportunity as I leap from behind the Chevalier. Stepping on one of his shoulders like a pedestal, I catapult myself high above her.

Trace on.

My female prey's eyes widen as she sees me approach her from the sky like a hawk, my figure casting an ominous shadow over her as my once empty left hand was now fully outstretched whilst holding an eccentric-looking dagger in its grasp, its iridescent blade glimmering like a multi-colored gem in the night.

"Liveslatille!" she shouts in anger. She probably knew it already, the fact that there was no way of escaping me now.

Both of us fall to the floor, she having landed on her back while I was straddled on top of her waist. The jagged dagger in my hand had already found its mark right at the center of Sheffield's chest as she lets out a loud shriek of pain.

"L-L-Liveslatille!" she snarls at me. Pure unadulterated rage laced in every syllable that her mouth spat as her hands grab hold of my left wrist, her sharp fingernails starting to dig deep into my skin. "I'm going to kill you! I will take the greatest joy in peeling off your skin and tearing you limb from limb! I'm going to… I-I'm going to… I… I…" she starts to grow silent, her eyes widening as she sees the scene that was transpiring behind me.

"Kiritsugu, the gargoyles… they're…" Saito murmurs as he too was rendered speechless while he watches the dozens of gargoyles, both fake and real, starting to fade. The illusionary gargoyles quickly blurring until they had completely disappeared out of sight and the stone ones crumbling on their own as their bodies begin to transform into mounds of sand.

Sheffield looks at me in panic. "You… What did you-?" she whispers unable to complete her question, her voice sounding undeniably shell-shocked.

"Rule Breaker." I answer her unfinished query as I pull out the Noble Phantasm's short tip from its victim's chest before allowing it to fade. "It's an enchanted dagger that severs all magical ties and contracts."

Upon hearing this, her right hand begins to tremble uncontrollably as it starts to crawl towards her forehead, her fingers trying to feel for the now vanished runes that were the symbol of her being one of the Servants of the void. "No. No. No no no!" She then brings her shaking hands to her lips as she drowns the small trinkets that she wore on her digits with kisses, her saliva staining their precious stones. But it would be to no avail.

"You are no longer the Mind of God." I declare in front of her, my voice cold and uncaring as I shove the reality of what was happening right in front of her face.

"No… No! NONONONONo- Gahhhh!" she lets loose a sudden shriek of pain as I bury the tip of my sentient blade deep in her right thigh. 'L-L-Liveslati-ahhh!" she cries out even louder as I proceed to drag the embedded blade across her flesh, raking through muscle and bone until her right leg was completely mangled.

"Hey, that's enough!" Saito yells at me while his body was still slumped down to the floor. "Kiritsugu, stop it!"

"It's either this or I kill her." I calmly tell the Chevalier as I pull out the sword from Sheffield's leg, return it to it's sheathe. I then look at the woman that I had pinned to the ground as I could see her eyes starting to water. "You should be thankful."

"T-Thankful? To y-you? Hah! Don't m-make me laugh!" she sneers. "I'd rather die than-!"

"Not to me." I cut through her spite-filled speech as I close my hand into a fist before raising it above her head. "But to my master." I finish before reinforcing my knuckles and punching her in the face with as much force as I could.

My first strike disorients her as she starts looking at me with a dazed expression, her hands hovering in front of her as if begging me to stop.

Two more blows was enough to dislodge her jaw as I feel her cheekbones starting to break, a mixture of blood and saliva tracing her swollen lips and staining my hands.

And with one more heave, I bury my fist right between her eyes as her head slams to the wooden floor, leaving a slight indention where it lay. Her eyes immediately close as her body lays limp on the floor, her limbs unmoving though her chest continued to rise and fall signaling that she was still breathing.

As I stand from my straddling position, getting off the now unconscious women that was lying on the floor, I walk over to where Saito was.

"Was that really necessary?" the Chevalier asks as he slowly pushes himself off the floor and into a sitting position, dusting away some of the sand and grime that covered his head and clothes. The shape-shifting Noble Phantasm that I had given him fading from existence while the sentient blade that he had been wielding on his right was on the floor.

"It's better to be safe than sorry." I reply back. "At least this way we're sure that she won't interfere later."

He looks at me and sighs before hanging his head. "Louise was right, you really are crazy."

I roll my eyes as I let out a small snort. "You're the last person who I want to hear that from, especially after the stunt that you just pulled." I tell him. Besides, if the young Duchess thinks that I'm crazy then I wonder what she would think of her possible future-self.

"...So why didn't you kill her?" the Chevalier asks which perturbs me a bit. "I thought that you would've killed her if ever the chance came."

"…There was no need to." I answer. "She's no longer a Servant so she's not the threat that she was earlier." I tried to explain my actions further. But in all honesty, I was simply trying to rationalize what I had just done. The truth was that I was somewhat confused myself as to why I didn't just kill her there and then. Even though she no longer had the power of the Myozuntnirn, that didn't mean that she wasn't a threat anymore. Just yesterday, I wouldn't have hesitated in taking her life. So what exactly changed in the past 24 hours then?

"Is it because of Tiffa?"

As I stood in front of him, towering over his sitting figure, I look at him sternly whilst contemplating his question before answering again. "I have my orders." I reply.

Maybe he was right. But whether that was true or not, I couldn't give him a better answer at the moment

I stare at the Chevalier sitting on the floor. He was breathing heavily now, trying desperately to catch his breath as a mix of sweat and blood starts pouring down his face. Since he wasn't holding a weapon as of the moment, the power of Gandalfr was once again dormant. The full brunt of fatigue and exhaustion that the ability of his class had spared him from earlier while in the midst of battle was most likely hitting him hard right now. There were long gashes on his neck and cheeks, his cape and clothes were in tatters, and there was a bit of blood trickling from his sleeves.

"That was a pretty reckless thing that you did back there." I tell him. Although his plan worked out in the end, that didn't change the fact that there were a hundred things that could have gone wrong.

"I know." he tells me while still huffing and puffing.

"You could have died. You do know that, right?" I chide him further, informing him of just how close he actually was to knocking on death's door. The numerous cuts around his neck were proof of this. If any of those cuts had been deep enough to sever his jugular vein, he would be lying in a pool of his own blood right about now.

"I am," he tells me calmly as he reaches for his Derflinger, restoring a bit of his vigor thanks to the boost that the power of Gandalfr had provided him. "But there was no chance of that happening anyway."

He smirks confidently as he declares this to me, as if there was no doubt in his mind that he would come out of that whole ordeal in one piece.

"Louise told me to come back. That was a direct order from my master so what kind of familiar would I be if I disobeyed it."

I look at him sternly but before long I too start to smirk as well. This guy really was something else.

"No, not a familiar..." I say to him which causes the Chevalier to gaze at me in confusion. "But a Servant." I finish my sentence as I hold out my hand towards him and offer to help him up.

This person will never be as great as my father was.

There will never come a time when this person will ever be considered as a worthy-replacement to the King of Swords.

And it was because of those facts that a part of me will always resent him. After all, it was because he was here that my father wasn't and ultimately that was something that I could never ever bring myself to forgive him for. I had come to terms with those feelings a long time ago.

But that doesn't mean that I couldn't respect him.

On this night, this person had fought, bled and risked his life with me. He had shown me his worth in the field of battle and as a fellow swordsman I had to recognize that at least.

He may not be a friend or even someone that I liked.

…But he was a companion.

…An ally.

…A comrade in arms.

He looks at the hand that I was offering him for a couple of seconds before lifting up his gaze to stare at me. After assuring himself that I was indeed being amicable to him for once, he finally decides to take me up on my offer. Grabbing my hand, I help him up as I pull him back to his feet.

"I still think you're an idiot though." I mention to him, slipping in one final jab before we resumed our mission.

"And I still think you're a jerk, so we're even." he takes my insult in stride before looking up at the eerily silent bridge of this flagship. "So we only have Joseph to take care of now, huh?" he states, narrowing down our final target for the night.

I nod. "We should finish this whole thing now before anything else happens." I add, pertaining to the threat of the firestone that was still very much present. Although judging from how things have played out and considering that Joseph had still yet to detonate the firestone even after all this time, I optimistically started to think that Miss Tabitha, the young Duchess, and my master may have been able to intercept the Gargoyle in time.

But we still had to stop Joseph though since it could just well be that I was being way too hopeful and everything wasn't going according to plan.

As we both nod at each other, I unsheathe my Uncle Derf from his scabbard again as we climb up the stairway that led to the bridge.

Swiftly making our way to where the King of Gallia was, both of us armed with our respective talking swords, we quickly arrive at the entrance of the enclosed command post. Standing in the middle of this now desolate area was a male figure with blue hair that was very similar to Miss Tabitha's and was garbed in a regal robe dyed in Royal blue.

This person was most likely our target, King Joseph of Gallia.

_"Beozus yul sviel kan ishel…"_ he chants, his eyes closed and his wand raised while pointing at a distance.

This is not good. We have to stop him now.

Reinforcing my legs, I rush towards the mad King as I pointed the tip of my sword towards his chest. Trying to reason with him was asinine and would just be a waste of time. I doubt that someone like him who had already gone this far will even listen to us. So taking this into account, I immediately decide to go for the kill.

But before my blade could run him through, he disappears in front of me like a ghost.

"What?" I say to myself in shock as I recover my footing and try to see where Joseph had gone.

"So you're the Heart of God, Liveslatille." I hear a voice declare from near the entrance. Turning my head back I immediately see the man who I had attempted to murder standing just behind the likewise surprised Chevalier.

Upon feeling his presence, Saito quickly swings his sword a full 180 degrees as he tries to cut Joesph into two by the waist. But just like with my earlier attempt, the mad King once again vanishes from the spot where he stood without leaving a single trace.

"And of course, how could I leave out the famous Gandaflr." I hear Joseph's voice echo from our left side. And as we both move our eyes to where his voice was coming from, we see that he had now reappeared, this time near one the windows of the bridge.

'Uncle, what's going on? How is he doing this?" I ask the sentient blade in my hand for information. Was this some kind of teleportation spell that he was using?

"He's using 'accelerate'." Uncle Derf informs me. "It's a void spell that boosts a person's movement beyond even that of the combination of reinforcement and the power of Gandalfr. Partner himself had a hard time dealing with that spell."

"And why exactly are you only telling me this now?" I ask him again, slightly annoyed that the talking blade hadn't briefed me on something this important.

"Err… I kinda forgot. Sorry, kid." the forgetful sword confesses to which I could only shake my head in disbelief.

"You forgot!" Saito's Derflinger shrieks. "Just how old are you exactly, you damn Antique!"

"Oi! I'm only about two decades older than you! Stop acting like you're in the spring of your youth compared to me, Novice!"

"Will the both of you just shut up for a minute!" I reprimand the quarreling swords, finally reaching the limit of my patience. "This is not the best time to be arguing."

After silencing both of the sentient blades, I look back at where Joseph was standing, taking in the features of the person whom I would be disposing of tonight.

"So, aside from serving as a mediator between both of your swords, I assume that you've come to stop me then." he tries to verify our intentions, the tone of his voice a bit too friendly for my liking.

"That's right!" Saito replies. "You won't be blowing up anything else. We're going to protect Aquileia and everyone in it! That's all there is to it!"

I could see Joseph smirk at the Chevalier's declaration. But it didn't have the mocking or even the condescending aura that I would've expected it to have.

"There's so much honesty in your eyes, it's almost blinding." he tells the black-haired Chevalier. "Although you don't look anything like him you remind me greatly of my little brother, Charles."

I could somehow make out an expression that I could only describe as nostalgia on his face.

There was something off about this man.

During my childhood, when I had first heard of the legend of how my father defeated the incompetent King of Gallia, I imagined him to be many things.

A selfish ruler who had delusions of world conquest.

An insane reagent drunk with power.

And most recently, a cold-hearted mass murderer who derived joy from the death and chaos around him.

But staring at this person right now, he didn't seem to fit any of those images that I initially had of him. All I could see on his face was a sense of loneliness. In fact, I would say that, as handsome and neatly dressed as he was, he looked more like a lost hermit than an evil king.

To think that this pathetic looking person before me was actually the mad King of Gallia, someone who was among the King of Swords greatest enemies and had caused the death of many.

I just don't get it.

"I suppose there's no going back now." he says to himself before attempting to raise his wand again.

Realizing that he was going to resume chanting the aria of his spell, both Saito and I quickly attack him. But yet again, just as both of our blades where about to graze his skin, he disappears from our sight.

"Attacks like that are useless against me." he calmly says to us, reiterating the futility of our efforts as we see that he was now leaning against the wall on the other-side of the room.

Quickly tracing a small black knife on my left hand, I swiftly throw it towards Joseph. As I had expected though he nonchalantly dodges the sharp projectile as he disappears and reappears just a few feet from where I had aimed it. I instantly trace another knife on my left and throw it to where he was standing at present. I had hoped that his spell would've a bit of a delay before he could cast it again. But much to my chagrin he uses accelerate a second time without fail as he dodges the other projectile coming at him with relative ease.

This was starting to get annoying.

"Accelerate was the first void spell that I ever learned." he rambles on, the reminiscent expression on his face still apparent. "I wonder for what purpose did God grant me this spell? Is it because he's urging me to hurry?" He carefully pulls out a dagger from behind his back. "Now then, I think I've played with both of you for too long. I really must be getting back to the task at hand."

Joseph brandishes the dagger in his grasp threateningly at both the Chevalier and myself as if to declare that he would fight us on our own terms. Under normal circumstances, I would've scoffed at the thought of him challenging us with a mere dagger since I doubt that he was skilled enough to use it like a well-trained knife wielder. But with accelerate; it didn't matter how huge the gap in skill and ability was since he could just make up for it with his superhuman speed.

Growing a bit desperate, Saito and I decide to take a gamble. The black-haired Chevalier rushes forward again, the blade of his sword taking aim at Joseph's neck. Meanwhile, I stand my ground as I hid my left hand behind my back before tracing two more knives between the spaces of my knuckles. Saito, upon closing in on the King of Gallia, unleashes a straight-forward stab aimed at Joseph's heart. But just before Joseph could vanish in order to avoid getting hit, I had already thrown both of the daggers at both his left and right flanks as I take I guess on where he was most likely to reappear again based on his movements from earlier. This was without a doubt a strategy that had less than a one percent chance of succeeding. If this worked than I would be the first one to admit that my skill had nothing to do with this.

Unfortunately, lady luck seemed to be quite uncooperative today since neither of the projectiles that I threw had actually hit their intended target.

"Where exactly were you aiming at?" I hear a voice whisper behind me. Sensing danger I leap away from the spot where I stood but I was not quick enough. Though I had avoided the lethal blow that the mad King had aimed at my neck, I was unable to dodge it completely as I still feel the sensation of steel piercing through the flesh of my right shoulder. I quickly let loose a shriek of pain as I swing at him with Uncle Derf. However, just like the other ones, that attack proved to be useless as well since he easily evades it, disappearing and reappearing a few meters away from where I was.

"Damn it..!" I curse between my teeth as my frustration starts to mount.

My problems didn't end there though since I soon realize that my right arm was quickly going numb as it loses its grip on the sentient blade that it was holding, allowing it to drop to the floor. The dagger that he had stabbed me with was likely drenched in poison. If I didn't do anything to stop the toxins from spreading than my whole body will become paralyzed in a matter of seconds. With this fact in mind, I place my left hand over the stab wound on my shoulder as I ran a bit of prana on a couple of my circuits and apply first aid on myself in haste. I quickly feel the soothing sensation of my spell working its magic on my wound as it greatly slows the spread of the toxins, localizing the paralysis to my left arm for the time being. But even I knew that this was only a momentary solution. Constant movement and a continued strain on the body would only cause the toxins to start spreading again. I estimated that I would only be able to fight for another four or five minutes before my body succumbs to the poison and I end up lying on the floor completely defenseless.

"Kiritsugu!" Saito shouts out at me, running to where I was as he sees me flinching in pain.

"That dagger of his is poisoned." I inform him about the danger of Joseph's weapon as I pick Uncle Derf up from the floor with my free left hand. "Avoid that thing at all cost." Unlike me, Saito had no way of slowing down the toxins once it enters his system. If he gets hit, or even just gets grazed by that dagger's blade, he'll be paralyzed in seconds.

As both Saito and I stood at the center of the room, staring at Joseph who was again brandishing the poisoned dagger just a few meters away from us, I couldn't help but grit my teeth in frustration. We were in a really tight spot. With the way things are, our foe could easily kill us anytime that he wanted to without much hassle. We had to think of another plan to beat him.

Seeking a bit of advice, I address the sentient blade in my hand. "Uncle, could you tell me again how my father was able to kill the King Joseph of our world?"

"Hah! See! It's not easy trying to remember everything, is it Kid?" my Uncle chides me, choosing the most inopportune time to remind me of how I teased him about his forgetfulness. "You should know this already. Partner had to use 'it' to kill that guy."

"What do you mean by 'it'?" I ask the blade for clarification, having absolutely no idea what he was referring to.

"You know what 'it' is." my Uncle continues to refer to the mysterious item ambiguously. "It's one of the few weapons that your father used that you hated. In fact, I remember you telling me that you hated 'it' the moment that you first used it."

Scrunching my eyebrows together, I try to figure out what my Uncle was talking about by using the clues that he had given me. Since there were very few weapons in my father's armory that I harbored a dislike of, either because of my inability to use them properly or some personal reason, I was easily able to narrow the list down significantly. And then the answer finally hits me like one of Auntie Agnes's sword strikes to the diaphragm.

If the Noble Phantasm that I'm thinking of is actually the same one that my Uncle was referring to, then I could understand why it didn't come to me earlier since I really tried to avoid using it at all cost.

But a drastic problem calls for an equally drastic solution. So I guess I'll just have to bear with it.

Now, the only thing that was left to figure out was how to get Joseph to stand still by at least a second so I could pull this off.

"It looks like you've already thought of a plan." Saito comments as he sees the serious expression that I had.

I nod, confirming his suspicion. "But I'll need him to stay still for at least a second."

The Chevalier sighs. "I guess I'll have to be the decoy again." he whispers before nervously grinning. "Just make sure that you get this on the first try. I don't think my body can stand being a pin cushion for too long."

"Don't worry," I assure him as I return Uncle Derf back to his scabbard and position my left hand behind me. "All I need is one clear shot."

Saito nods before advancing a couple of steps forward, he points the tip of his sword at the King of Gallia. "Come at me, Joseph! Let's settle this between the two of us!" he sends out his challenge to our foe with gusto.

Joseph smirks at us. I'm sure that he wasn't dumb enough to think that we weren't going to try and pull a fast one over him. Saito was probably hoping that he would be bored enough to entertain him on his challenge, regardless of all the signs pointing out that we had something else in store for him.

The Chevalier quickly rushes ahead as he swings his sword from north to south in yet another futile attempt at killing our rather elusive opponent. His attempt fails miserably though as Joseph easily evades the attack with accelerate. If chasing the inhumanly fast royal was the main core of Saito's plan than I might have ended up giving him too much credit.

Joseph stares at the exhausted looking Chevalier in disappointment. "So this is the most that you could do then." he sighs as he switches his grip on his poison-tipped weapon. I had a feeling that he's finally decided to end this battle.

"Why are you doing this?" I asks from out of nowhere, inviting him to engage me in a conversation by querying about his motives. I need to give Saito some more time so that he could prepare whatever it was that he had in mind. I did decide to trust him after all. I just hope that my faith in the Chevalier was not misplaced. "Are you doing this for wealth? For power? Answer me!"

Joseph looks at me and smiles bitterly, an expression that I could not help but be curious about.

"If I were an ambitious man than I could honestly say 'yes'… But I have no interest in such fleeting things."

"Then what exactly are you after?" I continue to chat with the King of Gallia, while at the corner of my eye I could see Saito regaining his composure. ""Why are you trying so hard to cause so much strife? Why do you want to raise as much hell in this world as you can? What's your real objective here?"

"Objective?" he bows his head low as he starts to chuckle a bit. "My objective is to cause as much chaos and death that I possibly can." While he proudly declares this in front of me, Saito sneaks behind Joseph as he unleashes another swift slash that was aimed to behead the King of Gallia right on the very spot where he stood. But again it was to no avail as our enemy reappears on the other-side of the room. As Joseph's back leans against the wall behind him he continues on with his explanation, unperturbed about the Chevalier's attempted assassination of him. "You ask why I wish to raise so much hell in this world? Well, it's simply because I wish to see it with my own two eyes."

My left hand that I had hidden behind my back tightly clenches itself into a fist. This sick bastard!

"So you enjoy seeing other people's suffering. Is that it?" I accuse him while at the same time thinking of all the ways that I could torture him as painfully as possible. All the lives that had been lost, the homes that had been turned into ruins, the peace that had been shattered… all of it… gone. And for what? Simply because this foolish man, if one could still call him a man, wanted to be amused! "I'm not going to let you get away with this. I'm going to stop you right here and now before your madness causes even more havoc." I tell him flat out as my voice once again regresses to its monotonously cold pitch that usually surfaces whenever I was focused on killing someone.

I will never forgive this person.

I'm going to kill him.

"Hmph! What is joy anyway?" he sneers as if the very word was devoid of meaning, the expression of apathy on his face slightly taking me aback. "Joy, sadness, anger… even shame… I have not felt any of these things for such a long time that I have completely forgotten what they are." His left hand starts to tug at his chest as he continues on. "Ever since that day, my heart has been empty. There is nothing inside of it; no tears, or sorrow. There is only the dark abyss that devours everything; a true 'Void'. Maybe it's because of this that God had decided to make me one of the bearers of the fifth element."

The loud clash of steel against steel echoes inside of the room as Saito tries to yet again catch Joseph off guard, slashing at the place where he stood. He comes out empty handed as usual as the blade of his sword scrapes the metallic wall, its target reappearing from a distance and was now standing near the shattered windows of the bridge.

The King of Gallia stares outside, his eyes focused on the still panic-stricken city of Aquileia. "I want to find out for myself what level of cruelty would finally cause my heart to feel again. Whether it's remorse, happiness, hatred, or even self-loathing, I don't care." He then turns his gaze towards me and proceeds to say something that almost made me vomit in my mouth. "You… You're just like me, aren't you?"

Why in the Root would this idiot say that?

"There is an emptiness inside of you, I can see it in your eyes." he mutters as a reminiscent look crosses his features. "Like me, you're probably chasing after something but you've been disillusioned to the point that you're starting to think that it is ultimately unattainable. Am I right, Liveslatille."

I glare at the incompetent King, the steel in my eyes hiding the inner fury that was fast approaching its boiling point. Hearing this fool tell me that we were the same made me want to kick him in the balls. He wasn't even insinuating or implying that we had some similarities, no, he was bluntly saying to my face that we were alike.

This person… I'm really starting to hate him now.

"Stop ignoring me, damn it!" Saito shouts at Joseph as he recklessly continues his seemingly pointless assault, swinging his Derflinger left and right yet cutting nothing but air.

Joseph, after reappearing on the opposite side of the room, sighs. "I think I've wasted too much time with you two already." he then tightens his grip on the dagger that he held. "It was nice meeting the both of you but it's time that I ended this."

As the mad King slowly approaches the helpless Chevalier with thoughts of murder on his mind, Saito inexplicably closes his eyes.

"Have you finally given up?" Joseph questions the Chevalier as he tried to make sense of Saito's actions. I doubt that was the case though. After all, this guy was rumored to have stopped the advance of the Albion army by himself. I'm sure that this was not the first time that his fought with the odds stacked against him "Well, that's fine too I guess. At least this way I can kill you without too much hassle."

"Partner? How are you going to fight with your eyes closed?" Saito's Derflinger also asks as well, probably concluding the same thing that I did. Although the other sentient blade must also be wondering what his Chevalier partner was up to.

"In my world, there's something called the eye of the mind. I'll use that to track your movements, Joseph!" he explains. After hearing what he was planning i couldn't help but shake my head in disbelief. If my right hand wasn't so messed up right now and if I wasn't trying to hide my left behind my back then i would've used one or the other to massage my aching head. What he was describing was actually one of the most common exaggerations when it came to that skill. Also, I doubt that Saito was experienced enough to use something like that in the first place. "Come at me, Joseph! I'll see through your actions with my mind's eye!" he declares in a loud voice.

"Fascinating." Joseph remarks, looking amused by the Chevalier's peculiar method of trying to catch him. "Then, if you will allow me…"

Saito steadies his stance, his hands loosening its grip on the hilt of his Derflinger. That was not a good idea. A relaxed body usually responds slower compared to one that was experiencing tension, and right now he could ill afford to have that. But before I could scold him for his amateurish display, Joseph had already made his move as he reappears on Saito's left, the dagger that he wielded burying itself blade first on the side of his stomach.

"So? Is this the great 'Eye of the Mind' that you wished to show me?" the King of Gallia mocks the Chevalier as his hand starts to twist the knife a bit.

I could see Saito's face contorting as if he had swallowed a very sour lemon. I'm sure that at the moment, he was most likely trying to hold in the shriek of pain that was close to escaping his mouth. His grip on his sentient sword loosens just as I had expected as both his hands grab hold of Joseph's arm that carried the poisoned dagger.

With a pained smile, he looks at Joseph in victory. "G-Gotcha." he tells the Gallian monarch of his triumph.

The mad King desperately tries to shake the Chevalier off but to no avail. So this was his plan all along. Force Joseph to attack him with his dagger and then grab hold of our foe for as long as he could manage. It wasn't exactly the best plan out there but it did do what I had requested of Saito.

Before me, standing alone and defenseless, was our foe.

"Kiritsugu!" Saito shouts out, his voice mixed with pain as he signals me to do my part.

Quickly, I answer his call.

"He survived through countless battles. Not even once retreating. Not even once being victorious."

I chant the continuation of my aria as I dive deeper into the heart of my father's inventory of weapons, searching and then pulling out the accursed item that he had used to kill the incompetent King of my world.

Trace on

I take out my left hand that I had positioned behind me and in its grasp I reveal that it was now holding a red weapon, a spear that was two meters in length. Reinforcing my left side so as to make it easier for me to wield the newly traced weapon with just my non-dominant arm, I reposition my grip on the crimson lance as I move my hand so that it was now grasping the tail end of its shaft. This way, I would be able to fully utilize the entirety of its length. And in a room as small as this, my weapon's size will make all the difference.

As I see Saito's grip on Joseph's arm loosening, the poison-soaked dagger starting to do its damage, I hasten my actions and fill the blood-colored weapon with Od.

"What!" Joseph blurts out in shock as he stares at the spear that I held.

His eyes are mesmerized by the crimson lance, the murderous aura that it was emitting enough to make the mad King himself stand still. Even his breathing had seemingly stopped.

I draw my left arm back a bit, my stare piercing straight through Joseph the same way that my spear will be doing soon enough.

A chill like the sharp thorns of a rose covers the enclosed space where our battle was being waged. The very air around us literally freezes as if a square mage had encased the whole place in a thick wall of ice. And out of the three people inside of this room, only I could move.

No… I was the only one allowed to move.

I could feel the hunger of the lance in my hand as it zealously waited for its true demonic form to be revealed to the world once more.

Joseph had said earlier that he simply wanted to make himself feel again. That he would whole-heartedly welcome any emotion no matter what it was.

Well, if that was the only thing that wished for, then I'll be more than happy to oblige him.

I will make him feel one of the most basic human emotions there is.

I will make him feel fear.

And there was no weapon better suited for this job than the one that I held in my hand

Gae Bolg, the spear of impaling barbed death, an evil weapon that is cursed to always pierce the heart of its target whenever its name was called upon. I have yet to hear of anyone who has lived after coming face-to-face with this weapon. It was one of the three Noble Phantasms that had earned my father the title of Elfbane. In fact, it was probably the most feared of the three for it symbolized something far greater to the elven masses.

To the elves, this spear was the embodiment of death and the fear of dying itself.

It was a reminder to them that death can come swiftly even to a long-living race such as theirs who measured their life-span in centuries. To stare at its image was the same as looking upon the gates of the netherworld. Even my father was quoted to have said that 'holding this weapon was like shaking hands with death'. From the very first moment that I had traced this detestable thing, I had immediately felt the evil that resided within it as its mere presence was enough to fill the air around it with the stench of blood. Since then, I vowed to never use this weapon unless I had absolutely no choice.

And unfortunately, as much as I hated using it, I was left with no other alternative.

As I prepare to thrust the spear forward, I could see Joseph's eyes widen, his mouth agape, while his face had been drained of all its color. He could probably feel it by now. Death was coming.

The moment that I thrust the tip of this spear at him, he was going to die.

He desperately tries to free himself from Saito's grip, despair and terror now etched on his once apathetic face. The always calm King of Gallia was now in a frenzied race to avoid an inescapable death. I could only imagine how painfully drawn out every fraction of a second must feel for him now as he tries to quickly pry the Chevaliers numbing fingers from his wrist.

But it will soon be too late. The moment that I release this spears true power, even if he was able to free himself at the very last second, it would do him no good. He was already dead.

All I needed to do now was to call out this spear of death's name.

"Gae…" With my very words themselves charged with magical energy, I begin to thrust the cursed Noble Phantasm towards my prey. I didn't even bother to aim properly since the very act of calling out this spear's name was enough to make sure that its blade will always pierce its target's heart. Soon, this battle… this war… is going to-!

'_This is my order to you…'_

No… Not now! Root damn it! Out of all the times, why am I remembering that stupid order now! I have to ignore it! I've already made up my mind. No matter what you tell me, I won't back out! This person is going to die by my hand tonight!

'_For as long as I am your master,'_

No! I can't back out! I have to kill him! If I don't then there's a chance that more lives could be lost in the future! Can't you understand that? I just have to kill him! There's no other way! I have to kill him now! Now! Now!

'_I forbid you to kill anyone…'_

Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!

"Ki…ritsugu?" Saito whispers in shock before he falls to the floor with a loud thud, his body finally succumbing to the poison that had now rendered him paralyzed. The Chevalier looks up to my still standing figure from where he had fallen; my left foot having taken a step ahead, my left arm outstretched as if it had just thrust something forward. But my hand held nothing in its grasp; the red lance that it had wielded not too long ago was gone. My head was bowed low as a trickle of red liquid starts dripping from the corner of my mouth. I guess I ended up biting my lower lip hard enough to actually draw blood.

I raise my sight slowly as I look ahead. And in front of me, still alive and breathing, was King Joseph of Gallia. His face was as pale as a ghost, his breathing erratic, and his whole body was trembling uncontrollably. I lower my gaze down to his chest; the bloody hole that I had earlier envisioned to be there by this time and should've been there by now was noticeably absent. Why was it absent though? What exactly happened?

I recall the events that had just transpired a few seconds ago, spreading them out so as to dissect what I had done wrong.

…That's right. Right at the very last moment, just before I could unleash Gae Bolg's curse and pierce Joseph's heart, I had de-traced the evil weapon for some unknown reason.

So does this mean that I wasn't able to bring myself to kill him then?

But why? Why didn't I kill him? Hadn't I tried to kill Joseph by firing a broken Caladbolg II at this ship less than half-an-hour ago? At that time I felt no remorse or doubt in me. I had fired the screw-shaped Noble Phantasm in cold blood without even batting an eyelash. And yet now, right when my prey was in front me and was at my mercy, I had spared him.

Why? What changed? What was the difference from then and now?

_'I believe in you so I know that you'll definitely figure something out.'_

Tsk! Is that it? Were those naïve words of my master really enough to drain my resolve by this much? For such a thing to happen…

I can't believe it.

When did I become so weak?

I glare at Joseph intensely as I see his face cower and flinch. He still seemed to be in a daze as he starts to take a step back, slowly distancing himself away from me.

"G-Go… Go away..!" he murmurs, the fear in his voice still palpable. "D-Don't come any closer..!"

I could hear a small voice screaming inside of me. It was telling me to kill him, that I could still correct this mistake. All I would need to do was trace a weapon right now while Joseph was still in a daze and stab him with it. After that then all will be forgiven.

As I start to gather my bearings and prepare to trace another weapon so that I could do what I should've done in the first place, I hear a familiar voice echo from the outside.

"Explosion!"

The entire room is engulfed by a dazzling light, and before I knew it a great force had completely blown off one of its walls. Both Joseph and I are thrown off our feet, the King of Gallia taking the brunt of the damage as his body sails through the air and crashes to the opposing wall on the other side.

As I look to the direction of where the spell had come from, I see the figures of my master, the young Duchess, and Miss Tabitha riding together on the back of Big Sister Irukukuu. Right behind the trio of girls plus dragon, was an exhausted looking Gale who had probably followed them to check up on me. My master was holding a red sphere in her hand which I immediately recognized as the last remaining firestone. It seems as if the three of them had indeed succeeded in intercepting one of Sheffield's gargoyles and was able to recover the dangerous object. As I glance at the two other females riding together with her, I quickly notice the cold-expression that the Princess of Gallia was staring down Joseph with.

She points her staff towards her Uncle. "Windy Icicles!" she casts her spell with a cold voice similar to the tone that I had used earlier.

The air around the small-statured bluette heeds her command as a dozen or so shards of ice that were more than a foot in length materializes around her, their tips that looked as sharp as spearheads pointing at Joseph. And without further notice, the shards of ice rush to where the mad King gingerly stood like a rain of cold death. The icicle projectiles' pointed tips pierce their target's trembling body, burying themselves on his shoulders, his thighs, and his arms. But miraculously, none of the numerous arrows of ice had landed on Joseph's chest.

The incompetent King of Gallia, against all odds, was still alive.

Big Sister Irukukuu draws herself closer to the opening of the room as she allows the three females riding behind her to dismount from her back. The two female void mages then hurriedly run to where their respective Servants were, worry etched in their faces after seeing the condition that Saito and I were in.

"Kiritsugu!" I hear my master's voice as she approaches me.

"I'm fine, Master." I reassure her of my well-being despite the haggard look that I was probably sporting right now.

"But your wounded!" she glances at my shoulder that had again started to bleed profusely. My sudden movement from before and the force of the young Duchess's explosion may have reopened it without me noticing. I again apply a bit of first aid magic on my mutilated shoulder. The wound, however, was a bit too deep so all I could do was clumsily patch it closed.

"Wait. Don't move, okay." my master orders me as she starts to rip away a long strip from the sides of the lower portion of her priestess robes. She then uses the piece of torn cloth in her hand as a make-shift bandage and starts to dress my wound with it.

While she was doing this, I look down at the jewel of fire that she had placed on the floor. "So the three of you were able to stop the firestone from reaching Aquelia, huh?"

She nods. "We were having a hard time chasing the gargoyle but I was able to stop it with my spell."

"That's good to hear." I sighed in relief before staring at my master and smiling. "I knew that you'd do great, Master."

She begins to blush upon hearing my praise. But before I could go on any further, I feel another body crashing against me as I am unceremoniously pushed down to the floor.

"Little Kerry is okay now, right?" my Big Sister Irukukuu, who had again transformed herself into a human but minus any sort of clothing to cover her currently naked body, anxiously asks as she presses her nubile flesh against my chest. "Big Sister Irukukuu was so worried about little Kerry!"

Now, most healthy adolescent males would probably find this scene to be quite erotic. But having just gone through a life and death struggle, plus the fact that this had happened to me in numerous occasions back in my home world, I was pretty much desensitized to this sort of thing.

So instead of feeling aroused I usually ended up being embarrassed more than anything.

"I'm okay, Big Sis." I tell the now weeping dragon as I start rubbing the back of her head. "You're little brother is pretty tough, so I'm not going to die that easily."

As I push myself up to a sitting position, I look back to where Saito and the young Duchess were. Miss Vallière was now helping the wounded Chevalier steady himself since his body was still mostly paralyzed. My sight then searches for Miss Tabitha who I quickly see standing in front of the cowering figure of her uncle, King Joseph.

"Kiritsugu, what happened to him?" my master questions me as to how the Gallian monarch's present state was brought about.

"…I made him feel fear." was the only answer that I gave. I had decided to spare her of the horrifying details of how I had turned this person into a terrified mess.

I continued to stare at the two Gallian Royals. Even at this distance I could feel the cold rage emanating from the small bluette's eyes. I had heard how it was Joseph who had caused the death of the Queen Charlotte's father. If that fact was also true in this world, then it was understandable that she would feel that way towards this man who was the cause of a great deal of her torment.

"You killed my father and you broke my mother's heart." she narrates the wrongs that the man slumped on the floor had done to her, and for the first time I could detect hints of bitterness in her voice. "I will never forgive you for that."

She lifts her staff up, its tip shining a majestic blue as the air above her head starts to condense and freeze. In a matter seconds, a large shard of ice materializes from out of nowhere, its tip directed at Joseph's heart and ready to impale him at any moment.

"Tabitha, you shouldn't!" the young Duchess pleads to her friend that was bent on taking revenge. "There's no need for you to have his blood on your hands!" Inwardly, I thought of how if it were the Duchess of my world who was here then she most likely would've allowed the Gallian Princess to do what she wanted.

"Louise is right!" my master cuts in. "You shouldn't-..." she stops at mid-sentence as she feels my hand on her shoulder. "Kiritsugu?"

I shake my head at my master, wordlessly telling her to not interfere.

Telling me, her servant, not to kill was completely different from telling someone else not to do the same. Though her intentions were noble without a doubt, I would not condone her interference regarding another person's private matters. As much as I regret it, I had already forfeited my right to kill Joseph. It was now up to the princess of Gallia whether she will allow her errant uncle to live past this night.

"But… I… I can't forgive him." she whispers, listening to the young Duchess's pleas but still not willing to let go of the grudge and contempt that she harbored for this man.

"Saito, you've got to stop her!" Miss Vallière urges Saito to assist her in trying to convince their friend to stop.

But much to my surprise, the black-haired chevalier goes against his master's wish. "This is her decision."

"But, Saito!" the young Vallière continues to plead to him.

"Even if she sullies her hands, she has to decide this for herself." he explains his reasoning to the young Duchess. He then looks at the blue-haired mage who was still pointing the large shard of ice towards her Uncle. "Isn't that right, Tabitha?" It seems that both Saito and I were of the same line of thinking in regards to this matter. We both believed that no one in this room had the right to tell Miss Tabitha what to do. "You're the one who has to decide. Either way, I'll respect your decision."

The moment turns into an eternity, every one of us waiting in bated-breath for the decision that the Princess of Gallia would bestow on the man in front of her.

As we continue to wonder whether Joseph would be surrendered to the Romalian authorities or return to Gallia inside a casket, the mad King suddenly starts sobbing uncontrollably.

"Charles… help me." he cries out, both his hands grabbing onto the sides of his head as tears start to pour down all over his face. Charles? He mentioned that it was his brother's name. So was he calling out to his little brother then?

"My father is not here anymore." The bluette grits her teeth. "You killed him."

"I didn't mean to." Joseph replies while continuing to cry like a child who was being scolded by his parents. "I loved my little brother. I loved Charles as much as an older brother possibly could. But I just couldn't stand how perfect he was! Even when father declared me as the new King, denying Charles of something that should've been his, he still didn't hate me for it. He actually congratulated me for stealing his rightful place!"

I could see Miss Tabitha's eyes widen upon hearing this revelation. She couldn't have been prepared to hear this.

"I just couldn't stand it anymore so I killed him. Since then I've felt so empty." Joseph then embraces himself, warding off a cold wind that wasn't there as his body convulses even more. "But compared to this… I'd rather go back to being empty." he looks up to the sky as if searching for someone, crying out to an unknown ghost again. "I'm sorry… I'm really sorry. I'm so scared, Charles! So please, help me!"

The blue-haired mage's grip on her staff tightens, her once steel resolve wavering as confusion swirled in her eyes. For a brief moment, I wondered what she could be thinking right now as she gazed upon the pitiful sight of her uncle.

The moment of truth is finally revealed, however, as Miss Tabitha lowers her staff while the shard of ice hovering over her head dissipates. Sparing her uncle one final look of disgust, she announces her decision. "I'll hand him over to Romalia."

After hearing her decree, Saito and the two female void mages sigh in relief while I on the other hand tried to hide the shock that I felt. Even taking into account Joseph's sudden revelation, I thought that the Gallian Princess would've still killed him.

With her decision finally brought forth, the bluette starts to focus her attention in helping assist the still paralyzed Saito who was having a hard time standing up straight. As the four girls which included Big Sis who was in the form of a human female divides their attention between me and the Chevalier, I suddenly hear a loud shriek of anguish pierce through the calm.

As we all turn our attention to where the sound had originated, my master screams in terror as she sees the horrifying scene that now lay before her.

"King Joseph just… he just stabbed himself!" the half-elf summarizes everything with that simple sentence.

The mad King had seemingly picked up a piece of broken glass that was lying on the floor and had embedded its sharp edge onto his chest. The crimson liquid that was escaping his body and staining his clothes red was dripping onto the floor where he sat.

"I… I-I don't want this..!" he murmurs, his mouth beginning to gargle his own blood. 'I-If this is what it's like to feel emotion… than I'd rather feel nothing at all!" he shouts out one final time before driving the jagged piece of glass deeper into his chest.

My master looks upon this scene with a mix of pity and terror in her eyes. She turns her head towards me, "K-Kiritsugu, we have to save him!" she orders.

But I stand my ground. Gently shaking my head, I refuse her request. "There's no point, Master." I tell her bluntly. Judging by the amount of blood loss and the fact that his heart must've ruptured already, it will only be another couple of minutes before this person's life fades. From the extent of the injury, I doubt that even a square-class water mage would be able to save him so any aid that we provide would simply be a waste. "He's going to die soon."

"But still…" she whimpers. I knew that my master was aware of the impossibility of her request but her inner saint was probably clouding her logic.

"Master Joseph!" we hear another scream coming from the entrance of the room.

"Sheffield..!" I spit out the newly arrived woman's name as I instantly recognize who she was. Her left cheek was swollen to such a great degree and one of her eyes was now closed shut. She was holding on to the side of the door as she practically had to drag her wounded right leg.

Grabbing Uncle Derf's hilt, I ready myself to unsheathe the sentient blade if I ever needed to. This person may not be the mind of God anymore but that doesn't mean that she was no longer a threat to the safety of my master.

The irate woman glares at me with pure hatred in her eyes. "You..! You did this to him!" she flat-out accuses. I couldn't blame her for thinking that, especially after what I did to her.

"Sorry, but my hands are clean of this mess." I reply, denying her accusation of me. "He did this to himself."

"You lie!" she calls out my integrity. Again, I couldn't really blame her though. "You! I'm going to-… Gah!" she falls face first to the floor as she tried to advance forward. Looking at her right now, she barely resembled the condescendingly proud Servant that I had faced not too long ago. I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. "Mas… ter… J-Joseph." she whispers through gritted teeth, her eyes starting to shed tears too as she begins to claw her way towards the dying man that she called her master, dragging her limp body across the dirty floor.

No longer able to contain herself, my master approaches the pitiful woman in haste. "Please, let me help you." she volunteers her help as she offers her hand to my once prideful adversary.

Sheffield does not take too kindly to her pity as she weakly bats the half-elf's hand away and continues to crawl on the floor, trying to reach Joseph.

I sigh. My master really is too kind.

I walk over to where the former-Myozuntnirn was. As I look down at her, I could see both despair and resignation in her eyes.

"A-Are you going to kill me now, Liveslatille?" she asks. It sounded more like a statement though rather than an actual question.

I sigh again. I can't believe that I'm really going to do this.

Grabbing hold of her arm, I lift her up and then proceed to put her arm over my shoulder despite her protests.

"I… I don't need your pity!" she spat at me, her anger and pride unable to stomach my help.

I slightly glance at her, my face free of any sort of expression. "I'm not pitying you," I tell her. "I'm just doing what my master wants."

After hearing my reason for helping, I could see her face slightly contorting in rage. I anticipated another retort to come from her, but astonishingly she remains silent as she stops trying to push me away. Glancing at her again, I could see the troubled expression that was masking her face. She was most likely in the midst of wrestling down her pride as she decided to swallow it for Joseph's sake.

"…Kiritsugu." my master whispers to herself before smiling at me. She then moves to Sheffield's left side as she helps me assist the limping woman so that she could be by her dying master's side.

As we position her on Joseph's left, Sheffield embraces the now unconscious man, bringing him closer to her large bosom as her hand brushes his blue hair.

"My master's life is rapidly fading away… Please, leave me alone with him." she speaks, making one final request.

I look out from the large hole that the young Duchess had made with her spell, not far from us were a number of Romalian Airships that were heading our way.

"The Romalian fleet is coming." I inform everyone in the room. They probably had deduced that it was finally safe to move again and were now bent on capturing Joseph and making him pay for his crimes. Unfortunately, by the time that they finally reach this ship, the King of Gallia would already be dead. I look back at Sheffield. "The moment that they arrive here, they're going to imprison you. They'll probably torture you for good measure as well."

It was the most logical thing that would likely occur. With Joseph dead, they're going to focus their anger on his subordinates like Sheffield.

"I don't care what they do to me," she states, unafraid of what unspeakable torments a scorned country may end up placing on her. "I just wish to be with my master for as long as possible."

"…I see." I turn to the others. "We should go."

"But what if they try to escape?" Saito suddenly blurts out.

"It won't matter." I answer back. "Joseph is going to die soon. And as for Sheffield, she's no longer a Servant of the Void so she's not as dangerous as before. There's nothing left for us to do here."

"But-!" he tries to mount another objection but is quickly stopped by his master.

"Kiritsugu is right. It's better this way." the young Duchess says as she tries to dissuade the Chevalier from continuing to argue about this particular subject. "Let's go home, Saito."

Saito briefly glances at Sheffield and Joseph. After seeing such a defeated sight, he soon finds himself going along with what I and his master had advised, nodding his head to us in agreement.

As we decide to finally depart from this ship, I take one last glance at Sheffield and her master as she continued to stroke the now dying man's hair. "Don't' worry, Master. I'm here with you so there's nothing to be scared of." she whispers through her tears.

So this was the bond between Servant and Master that the Duchess had told me; a bond stronger than any marriage, friendship, or camaraderie. Staring at this woman I now somewhat understood what that meant a little better. Though she no longer had the mark of the Void, she remains a Servant to the very end.

If nothing else, I had to respect her for that at least.

-(Scene Break)-

I look back at the silent flagship that we had just left. Its upper deck was filled with bits of rabble and dirt. There was a gaping hole in one of the walls of its bridge and if one didn't know any better, they would think that it had been completely abandoned. I knew that wasn't the case though.

"What are you looking at?" my master who was riding together with me on Gale's back asks, curious as to what it was that had caught my fancy.

"Nothing, Master." I answer her as I briefly glance at the direction of our three companions who were riding on the back of Big Sister Irukukuu. Miss Tabitha had reverted back to her usual silent demeanor while Saito who had regained a bit of feeling in his body but not enough to actually move on his own continues to lean on his master for support. While supporting her Servant, the young Duchess was tightly clutching the Founder's Round Mirror that had been stolen from the Cathedral just two days ago.

Looking ahead I see the still intact City of Aquileia that had been saved from the disaster that threatened not only its existence but also the lives of all its inhabitants. For tonight at least, they were safe.

"Kiritsugu… I saw what you did." my master cryptically mentions something that she had seen me do. I had a feeling that I knew what exactly she was referring to. "You were about to kill Joseph, but you stopped yourself at the very last second. Why did you that?"

I fight back the frown that was trying to appear on my face as I remembered something that I considered as a mistake on my part. I didn't know why but for some reason I had spared an enemy's life, something that I had been taught to never do under any circumstance. Whatever it was that had caused me to show that tiny glimmer of mercy towards Joseph and even Sheffield, whether it was because of my master's order or something else, it was something that I could not afford to keep. I had fought and lived through countless battles with the lessons that my mentors in both the sword and wand had drilled into my psyche. I had never second guessed them and they had proven to be invaluable up to now. How could I possibly think of betraying them?

In the end, I decided to keep silent as I was unable to give her a definitive answer.

Upon seeing the troubled looked on my face, she decides to not pursue the matter any further.

My Uncle, however, was not as understanding. "Heh! Just say it. You're starting to get soft."

I wanted to argue back at the sentient blade but I conclude that it would be foolish of me to do so. That was probably a fight that I wouldn't win anyway. Instead, I decided to get my Uncle to focus his attention on something else so that he would stop jabbering at me.

"By the way Uncle Derf, who actually won that contest that you had with Saito's Derflinger?"

"Oh, that's right." He then starts calling out to this world's version of himself, "Hey Novice! How many of those things did you smash?"

"Twenty-one! Top that old rusty!"

"Hah! I got twenty-seven so I win." the older of the two talking blades declares, proclaiming his triumph. "Suck it, Amateur!"

"I bet you just made that number up, you damn antique!" the younger Derflinger argues back, not willing to admit defeat.

"How would you know? You were lying on the floor half of the time!"

"Okay, that does it! Let's settle this like swords! One-on-one fight, no holds bar, any time and any place!"

As the two sentient blades continued to bicker and argue, I suddenly feel my master's body lean against me.

"Master, are you alright?" I ask her with a tinge of worry in my voice, concerned about her well-being.

She quickly smiles at me though as she eases my concern a bit. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me, Kiritsugu." she then starts to make herself comfortable (which had the opposite effect of making me uncomfortable) as she leans on my chest a little more. "I'm just… really tired right now."

I could see that her eyes were starting to droop a bit, proof that my master really was exhausted.

I guess I'd have to serve as her pillow again, at least until I could carry her back to her own bed. As uncomfortable as I was right now (Must purge desires! Must purge desires! Must purge desires!), if anyone deserved a bit of rest it was most certainly my master.

-(Scene Break)-

"We are returning this to you." the young Duchess and my master politely speaks as they both kneel before the Pope Vittorio. They were each holding on to the opposite ends of the Founder's round mirror as they presented it to the man who was seated on the throne in front of them. I, Saito, and Miss Tabitha were standing just a few feet from where the two girls' kneeled. And on our left side, both the Queen Henrietta and Captain Agnes who had just arrived looks over the proceedings. All of us had been promptly summoned here by the Pope during the early hours of the morning. Needless to say, I wasn't in the best of moods since I would've liked to sleep in a bit more considering the events that had happened last night.

As His Holiness signals to his Servant, Sir Chesaré, to take the holy artifact from the pinkette and the half-elf, he starts to gaze at everyone that he had summoned inside of this small room. With a look of joy and satisfaction on his face, he addresses his two fellow Void bearers'.

"For your actions I'd like to thank the both of you from the bottom of my heart, Miss Vallière and Miss Westwood." he then looks past the two girls and stares at me and Saito. "I would also like to express my gratitude to both of your respective Servants; Saito Chevalier De Hiraga and Kiritsugu Emiya. As well as to you, Miss Tabitha." he ends his speech as he gives a brief nod to the Gallian Princess who was with us, recognizing her role in stopping what could've been a full-blown war between each of their countries. The expression on his face then changes into something that could best be described as slight disappointment. "It is unfortunate, however, that although we were able to recover King Joseph's body from the remains of Gallia's flagship, his Servant Sheffield had somehow eluded us."

"Do not worry, Your Holiness." Sir Chesaré reassures him as he returns to his master's side while holding the now retrieved Holy Artifact in his hand. "Without her master, she is no longer a Servant of the Void. I doubt that she will be a problem to us in the future."

"How are your wounds, Saito?" Her Majesty asks the black-haired Chevalier in regards to the injuries that she had mended.

After making our way back to Aquileia, we were quickly greeted by Sir Chesare and the Queen Henrietta who was accompanied by a contingency of Romalian Holy Knights. Upon seeing the state that the both of us were in, we were immediately led inside one of the open barracks located in the vicinity of the port so as to get ample treatment for both of our injuries. Her Majesty had even volunteered to personally treat our wounds which both Saito and I were very grateful for.

The Queen had decided to heal Saito first considering how he had suffered much graver injuries than I did, siphoning the remaining poison that circulated inside his body while at the same time treating the stab wound on his stomach. As I watched the Queen Henrietta perform some very high level healing spells on the Chevalier, I was suddenly reminded of how skilled my own mother was. Compared to me whose ability at healing was limited to basic first-aid and preventive measures, my mother's skill was simply other-worldly, surpassing even that of square-class mages. When it comes to healing spells the gap between me and her was as wide as heaven and earth. It also didn't help that I pretty much neglected most of my lessons with Auntie Monmon for more sparring sessions with her husband, a fact that had earned both me and Captain Guiche many long hours of scolding and tongue lashings. When Her Majesty had finally moved on to treat my wounds, I tried my best not to ogle at her too much which I think I still ended up doing anyway. I just couldn't help it I guess since seeing what my mother must've looked like during the spring of her youth was quite the sight. I also had to beat back the feeling of nostalgia that was making me act very weird around her. Seeing her tending to my wounds just made me reminisce of all the times that my mother had healed my bruises back when I was a child.

"I feel great!" he assures the Queen as he flexes his arm at her. "It's all thanks to your healing magic, Your Majesty!"

"That's good to hear." she sighs, definitely relieved that the Chevalier was in better health. Looking at the Queen's face, I see her cheeks faintly blushing as she continues to chat with Saito. It was at this time that I was again reminded of the rumor that Miss Siesta had told me regarding the Chevalier and Her Majesty. A rather sour frown crosses my lips after remembering that rather uncomfortable fact, the vein on the side of my head throbbing like crazy.

This guy... I'm really going to kill him one day!

"You really are amazing, Your Majesty!" he continues to heap praises on the Queen Henrietta akin to how my mother's suitor's would try to woe her with their flowery words. "It's only been a couple of hours but I already feel as good as new!"

Seeing Saito trying to sweet talk someone who resembled my mother was really pissing me off.

"I'm just glad that you're okay." the Queen tells her Chevalier, the blush on her cheeks glowing just a bit brighter.

"Of course! It will take more than that to - ouch!" he suddenly yelps as I kick him on his ass, causing him to tumble down face-first to the floor. As he slowly gets up while rubbing the side of his behind that I had kicked, he quickly looks back at me in both embarrassment and anger. "What the hell was that, you jerk!"

"Sorry." I disingenuously apologize, shrugging my shoulders as I pretended that I did nothing wrong. "I just saw a bug so I kicked it."

"A bug..? Like hell you did!" he shouts, not buying my excuse at all.

Well, figuratively speaking, I wasn't really lying. It just so happened that the bug in question was walking on two legs and was being too _friendly_ with someone who, coincidentally, was the mirror image of my mother.

Suddenly, we hear the sound of someone laughing at us. Glancing over to see who the person getting his amusement at our expense was, we find Sir Chesaré trying his best to stifle his mirth.

"It seems that the two of you have gotten closer since the last time that I saw you?" he comments which only makes the situation worse.

"Hmph! As if I'll ever want to be friends with this jerkoff!" Saito passionately states the impossibility of something like that ever happening.

"Likewise." I answer back. "I'd rather not be infected by this idiot's stupidity."

"What did you say!"

Saito glares at me with white hot fury in his eyes while I counter with a cold one of my own. Like a Tiger and Dragon staring down at each other, neither of us willing to back off. Though I did have respect for him as a fellow swordsman within the confines of the battlefield; it didn't change the fact that outside of it I found him to be very annoying.

"Saito!"

"Kiritsugu."

We hear our respective masters call out to us. As we unconsciously declared a momentary ceasefire to the budding hostility, we look around and see that everyone's attention was now focused on the two of us. We both turn to where both of our masters were. I feel a cold chill run down my spine as I see the young Duchess giving Saito a murderous stare, the look that she had right now having a very uncanny resemblance to the infamous 'death stare' that her older-self had given to a rather pompous nobleman that had annoyed her very much. She was most likely not very amused of how her Servant was making a fool out of himself. My master meanwhile was looking at me with a rather troubled expression on her face, kind of like how a mother would react if she were to ever hear her child being involved in a schoolyard fight.

After seeing that look of hers, I couldn't help but sigh again. I really didn't want to end up arguing with my master over such a petty thing. I raise my right hand in the air as a sign of surrender to her, deciding not to provoke the Chevalier any further.

Sir Chesaré's laughter grows a tad louder. "Well, I for one am glad that both of you are fine." he confesses his relief of seeing the two of us safe. "But I honestly was a little worried, especially after Saito declined my gift to him."

Hearing this, I instantly remember Saito telling me that this Romalian Priest had offered something to him before he and the others came after me. I wonder what that gift could possibly be?

Saito looks at the man who bore the mark of Windalfr on his right hand and smiles. "I have to admit, there were times that I kind of regretted not taking you up on that since I'm sure that it would've made everything a little bit easier for me and Kiritsugu." His expression then turns serious, the usually energetic tone of his voice replaced by a much harder pitch, "After all, I'm certain that you and the Pope wanted to make sure that Joseph was eliminated just like you planned…"

His accusation was met by silence of not just the two men whom he had insinuated to have plotted something much deeper amidst all the chaos that the now dead King of Gallia had caused, but of everyone in the room as well.

I smirk a bit.

So this person wasn't as naïve as I originally thought.

"I couldn't help but think about everything that had happened and how they kind of fit together. You make both Louise and Tiffa into shrine maidens, one of them gets kidnapped by Joseph, Kiritsugu and I go to save her, and then we take Joseph down in the process." he explains further. It seems that my sense of paranoia was beginning to rub off on him. "It just feels to me like everything was going according to someone's plan." he quickly shifts his sight towards the man sitting on the throne. "Isn't that right, Your Holiness?"

"Saito!" the pinkette runs toward Saito, her cheeks glowing a faint red as the embarrassment of hearing her Servant accuse a person who she considered as a holy man starts to show on her face. "How can you say such a thing to His Holiness? Really, you're probably the only person here who thinks that such a thing… such a thing… Why is everyone..?"

The young Duchess is rendered speechless by the cold silence surrounding her as she notes how every single one of her comrades was looking at the Pope and his familiar with suspicion swirling in their eyes. She must've thought that the others would support her, or at least be shocked by Saito's sensational claims. But having preemptively warned them of the possibility that the Pope may have much more unscrupulous motives in mind, they had already mentally prepared themselves for such an eventuality.

The Pope, upon seeing the unspoken accusations that his audience was subconsciously throwing at him, lets out a sigh as he focuses his gaze at me.

"I'm guessing that this is your handiwork. Am I right, Sir Emiya?" I remain silent though the cold stare that I was giving was more than enough to confirm his suspicion. "I see…" he then starts to address the gathered crowd again. "Indeed, I can't deny it outright." the Pope finally confesses, much to the shock of the young Duchess. "We made a Void Mage into a shrine maiden, not to convince King Joseph but to provoke him. We expected him to do something. No… we hoped that he would do something."

As he confesses his sins to us, I begin to clench my hand tightly into a fist. So the true mastermind of this whole thing wasn't really Joseph himself, but instead it was actually this fool who hid his true colors underneath the veneer of divinity that his status provided him.

"If that happened, we would have a reason to launch a holy war against Gallia and get rid of Joseph." the Pope Vittorio continues on with his explanation, and with every word that he uttered I found myself hating this person more and more. And here I thought that I hated Joseph. Compared to the anger that I was feeling towards this man, I could practically consider the mad King as a friendly acquaintance.

"But Your Holiness, I thought you said that you wished to gather all four bearers of the Void and have them work together." Miss Valliere cries out, trying to make sense of this person's actions as her divine image of him slowly crumbled. "With Joseph gone, how would we be able avert the disaster that you warned us about?"

"It's because he wants the power of the void to move on to another host." I finally speak up, no longer able to keep silent concerning this matter. It was one of the peculiar characteristics that the fifth element possessed and was only discovered two decades ago when the power of the void was transferred to the exiled Princess Josette after the death of her Uncle Joseph. "I'm sure that His Holiness is very much aware that such a thing would happen once King Joseph was dead."

The Pope looks at me, a tinge of shock dancing in his eyes. I'm sure that he didn't expect a mere Servant to know so much in regards to the power of the Void. Too bad for him but the Duchess had made sure to find out as much as she could about her element and was bored enough to pass on her knowledge to me. So it goes without saying that I was also very versed when it came to the peculiarities of the Void.

"…We had no other choice." the Pope resumes his speech. "For someone like Joseph to possess the holy power of the founder... it can only be considered as a blasphemy of the highest order. He had made it clear with his actions that he would never even think of joining our cause. Also, he was too dangerous of an existence to keep alive, so we deemed it necessary to eliminate him."

"Is that really the only reason?" I reply back, venom lacing my voice as I glare at the Pope whilst trying to stop myself from tracing a sword and killing him right where he sat. "Or maybe you couldn't allow him to live because you wouldn't be able to turn him into one of your puppets."

I continue to stare at the Pope, the look on my face and the tone by which I had spoken to him expressing my discontent.

"…It is for the greater good. For the sake everyone." he replies back as he turns his sight away from me and addresses the other people in the room, the look on his face telling all those that had gathered before him that he had the utmost faith in the trash that his mouth was spewing.

My fist starts to shake. This person… he was no different from the Pope of my world!

"But you must believe me when I say that it was never our intention to put either Miss Vallière or Miss Westwood in such a dangerous situation. Nor did we expect Joseph to cause so much destruction. We didn't think that it would go this far." He slightly bows his head low to everyone in front of him; his Servant also following his lead, as he expresses the greatest remorse that one could ever see on a man's face. "I hope that you can forgive us."

"You're lying!" I shout at the very top of my voice, anger and hatred pouring out from the very depths of my soul. Normally, even when I was at the pinnacle of my rage, I would still be able to hide it behind the cold façade that I wore whenever I went into battle. But this was different. I never thought that I could ever hate anyone as much as I did this fool. "So you planned to wage a war involving two countries, but you didn't anticipate for so much death and chaos to happen? Are you an idiot?"

I can't believe this person wanted to have his tea and drink it too. I'm so mad right now that my whole vision starts to turn white.

"You keep harping about the greater good and how everything you do is for everyone's sake. Well, what of the people who died tonight?" and as I said that, in the back of my mind I am reminded of Sir Hohenheim and the family that he had orphaned, of two boys who would never be able to see their father again. "… What about those that they've left behind? Did you ever think about their sake? Does your 'greater good' include them too?"

This person… he was very much like the Vittorio Serevare that I had heard from the Duchess's stories. No, they were practically the same person. Before me now stood the person who had not only plotted the death of my father, but had also caused the death of thousands of innocents.

"And what about you, Sir Emiya?" the pope retaliates as the faintest semblance of impatience stains his usually benevolent face. "Do you not kill in order to save? Do you not sacrifice one to spare the others?" We both glare at each other, the tension between me and the Pope blurring our surroundings as he throws the core of my father's ideals, the same ideals that I had vowed to take as my own, straight back at me. There was no one else inside of this room but the two of us. "In the end, aren't we both the same?"

I grit my teeth. It pained me to admit it but he was right in a way. There was really only one substantial thing that separated the two of us.

"There's only one difference between us though, Your Holiness," I reply back to him. "I know that not everyone can be saved, so I don't pretend otherwise. Unlike you, I don't scheme or manipulate the people around me to make them think that I can." I look at the pompous bastard straight in the eye. "If I need to sacrifice a hundred people to save a thousand, then I'll do it. If I need to sacrifice ten to save a hundred, then I'll also do it. I won't hide my motives under the guise of sweet sounding words and soothing rhetoric. And if I need to sacrifice one in order to save ten, then I'll gladly sacrifice myself so that no one else will have to."

I'm not a Saint like my master. I've killed my fair share of people. But I wasn't condemning him for being a murderer. I didn't have the right because, like him, my hands are soaked in blood too. The one thing that I was putting him in contempt for was the way that he went about doing his business. The fact that I believe that the senseless deaths that had happened tonight could have been avoided, just like how my father had managed to avoid them, had he not tried to play chess with people's lives. And at least in that respect, we were different. I may be a lot of things, but a schemer and a manipulator I was not.

"You speak of such deep ideals… But do you really understand what those ideals actually mean?" The Pope looks at me dead in the eye. The expression on his face was different now. No longer did it have the holy aura of divinity and kindness that I was used to seeing. It carried more anger, more feeling. In other words the Pope, for the first time since I met him, looked human. "You speak of sacrificing the few for the sake of the many. Well then, why did you spare both King Joseph and Sheffield's life? Doesn't that mean that you have betrayed those same ideals?"

I was struck silent by his statement. I couldn't conjure a rebuttal against him because he really did have a point. Even if everything turned out fine in the end, that doesn't mean that not killing Joseph at that time when I had the chance was the right choice. If enough things had gone wrong; like if Joseph had been able to retaliate and kill me and Saito, or if he had ended up escaping with his mind still intact, then there was a danger that he would simply repeat what he had done here in Aquileia in some other city.

The Pope then stands from his throne, his stare now turning into a glare, as he addresses me directly. "Listen well, Kiritsugu Emiya, and everyone hear who is willing to hear me. The disaster that I spoke of that threatens the people of Halkeginia is real. Many battles will be fought and many lives will have to be sacrificed." He then lowers his head, biting his lower lip as his hands balled into fist, his knuckles turning white while trembling. "But you must believe me when I say that if I had the power to save everyone without having to sacrifice even a single soul, then I would not have resorted to such tactics. And when the deed is finally over and done with, when all the bodies of the dead are presented before me, I will be the first one to weep for them…" He raises his sight again as he returns his gaze back to me. "So tell me, Sir Emiya. Between the two of us, who exactly is the bigger hypocrite?"

With that last jab of his finally thrown in, I succumb to my anger. Blinded by my rage, I quickly grab hold of Uncle Derf's hilt as I readied myself to draw out the sentient blade from my back and impale its tip on this blonde bastard's chest.

This person… I just couldn't stand to be in the same room as him. And truth be told, I just couldn't stand him PERIOD!

But before I could unsheathe Uncle Derf from his scabbard, I feel a soft body pressing itself against my free left hand. Immediately glancing over to my left side, wanting to see the image of the person who was foolish enough to try and stop me, I soon found myself staring at my master's figure. Her hands were tightly wrapping themselves around my non-dominant arm, the look on her face causing my rage to simmer down bit-by-bit. There was no hint of anger, disappointment, or anything of the sort that you would expect a Master to show to a disobedient Servant. Instead, there was only worry etched in her face, as if I was about to depart towards a hopeless battle or somewhere that I wouldn't come back alive.

"Let's just go, Kiritsugu." she tells me while slightly tugging at my arm.

Gritting my teeth as I try to rein in my emotions, I slowly loosen my grip on my sword's hilt as I bring my hand down.

Retrieving the stoic mask that I usually wore in order to hide my anger, I look at the Pope again, my inner petulance telling me not to let my enemy have the last word in our discussion. "You say that you will be the first one to weep for them… Well you can save your tears because they won't bring the dead back to life." I then turn my back to them, but before I walked out of this room with my master, I decide to give Vittorio and his Servant one final warning. "I'm telling you two right now, whatever it is that you're planning, leave my master out of it. If you do anything that ends up putting her in danger," I glance back at them one more time, my dagger-like blue eyes that so greatly resembled my mother's conveying the murderous intent that I was desperately trying to control. "I'll personally hunt both of you down and kill you."

I feel my master's hands that remained holding my left arm flinch. I briefly look at her for a second, the expression on my face unchanged as I show her just how serious I was about this.

What I had told Vittorio and Sir Chesare was not a threat. It was a promise.

If they ever did something that would result in putting my master in harms way, I would trace every evil and cursed blade in my father's armory and stab every hole in both of their bodies with them.

Even if my master ends up hating me for it, I will kill this two without the slightest hint of hesitation or mercy.

-(Scene Break)-

"I really did it this time, didn't I?" I sighed as I passed through the empty halls of the pentagon Cathedral, my master walking by my side while Miss Vallière, Saito and Miss Tabitha were trailing just a few steps behind us.

After calming myself down and reflecting on my actions, I realized just how much of a mistake my little outburst back in the throne room was. I had completely lost my composure, drawing too much attention to myself and had pretty much given the Pope enough reason to consider me as a possible enemy. I had hoped to maintain a relatively low profile while serving my time in this world, but thanks to that little display of mine, that's no longer an option anymore. He will no doubt make sure that both my master and I are monitored closely. What in the root was I doing, acting like that?

"Aye," the sentient blade that I was carrying on my back comments. "On the bright side, at least the Duchess wasn't here to see that tantrum of yours. You do remember what she did to you the last time that you acted like that, right?"

"Don't remind me, Uncle." A cold shiver runs down my spine as I remember what kind of punishment the Duchess had handed out to me the last time that I had acted so petulantly in front of her. She basically made walk through the Rosroll forest while carrying a boulder on my back. That's right, a boulder - a very BIG and very root-be-damned HEAVY boulder!

"D-D-De-De-Derf!" I hear the young Duchess suddenly shout from behind us. I look back and see Miss Vallière staring in wide-eyed confusion at the talking blade that I was carrying, her mouth agape as her trembling index finger was switching between me and Saito. "B-B-But Derf is with Saito! W-W-Why is there t-two Derfs here?" she stutters, her eyes literally descending into looping spirals. I wouldn't be surprised if smoke started to come out her ears soon.

"Oh, that's right. Louise wasn't there when you explained about that whole alternate world business that you told us about." Saito says, pointing out the young Duchess's absence during that time when I had revealed to them where I actually came from. I guess it was only natural for the pinkette to be in a state of shock since she wasn't aware of that particular fact yet, although I do vaguely remember Uncle Derf speaking while in her midst when I failed on my attempt to shoot down Gallia's flagship. It was either she hadn't heard the sentient blade talk or she had simply disregarded it as an illusion that was brought about by the heat of the moment.

"A-A-Alternate world?" she continues to stutter, her confused mind still having a hard time grasping what had been going on while she had been under the custody of Gallia.

I sigh again. "I'll explain it to you some other time." I tell her. I wasn't really in the mood to play storyteller right now. Plus, I'm sure that she was going to have a lot of questions after I reveal to her what world I came from.

As we near the exit of the closed cathedral, my master decides to speak to me about something that must've been troubling her greatly.

"Kiritsugu, about what you said back there earlier. You're not really going to-."

"I meant what I said, Master." I state, leaving no room for compromise. "If they ever do anything that will cause you harm, I swear I won't rest until I have both of their blood on my hands."

She hangs her head a bit, her shoulders slumping down. "Are you doing this because you're my Servant?" she questions me. I could see a rather guilty look on her face which, for the life of me, I had no idea why she had in the first place.

"Well, it's the main reason I guess." After hearing this, she lowers her head even more as if in shame. I then flash her a sincere smile. "But I think that even if you weren't my master, I'd still want to protect you no matter what." I confess.

It wasn't like I could just walk away from someone who was in need of help. That's actually why I ended up in this world to begin with. If I had decided to turn a deaf ear to my master's pleas at that time, than I wouldn't be here.

A small smile works its way to her lips, but I could still see slight traces of sadness on her features. Did what I say back in the Pope's throne trouble her so much? Or was it something else? I just couldn't fathom what exactly was causing her so much grief that it was making her look like this.

As we finally arrive at the main gate at the end of the unlit hallway, I push back the wooden doors and allow the morning sun's bright rays to enter the gloomy building. In an instant, I feel my eardrums almost give way as the loud sound of boisterous cheers and applause showers us from all directions. As my eyesight adjusts to the bright morning light, I see that a large crowd had gathered outside the gate of the Cathedral as if waiting for something or someone. I could feel them looking at us intensely, their eyes that were filled with awe making me feel a bit uneasy not to mention slightly confused. There were quite a lot of them to be honest; the children riding on the men's shoulder so as to see above the collection of different people while the elderly were being assisted by the young women. They had one thing in common though; they were all jovially laughing as big smiles could be seen in every single one of their faces.

"What's going on here?" Saito queries out loud as he soon sees the people that had gathered in front of us.

"The people simply wish to praise the two heroes who had saved Aquileia." a familiar voice speaks from out of the crowd as I see Captain Guiche's face emerging from the throngs of people. He was soon followed by Professor Colbert, the two girls' whom I presumed to be this world's version of Auntie Monmon and Auntie Kirche who had immediately locked Miss Tabitha in her embrace, and some members of the Undine Knights. "Professor Colbert recognized those arrows of light that had destroyed the three airships to have belonged to Kiritsugu. When we heard from Her Majesty about your contribution to the war, we deemed it was only appropriate for us to tell the people of what had truly transpired on that night." he then gestures to the crowd with his rose wand. "To the people of Aquileia, I present to you, your heroes!"

And before either of us could manage to say anything, Saito and I were both quickly pulled in by the crowd as they started lifting us in the air, tossing us up on high. At this point, I was pretty much out of my depth.

"Long live the Heroes of Aquileia!" one of the men shouted as it was immediately followed by a loud cheer of "Huzzah!" by the crowd.

As we were continuously tossed in the air, the sound of cheering and merrymaking resounding from everyone who was present, I catch a glimpse of my master who remained standing in the doorway. Gone was the sadness that she had just moments ago. She was smiling again, the look of relief and happiness that she had right now was absolutely mesmerizing to behold as she looks on from where she stood. Before long, the crowd's frenzy reaches a feverish pitch as my master decides to join the others in celebrating, the chants of the people hailing us as 'The Heroes Aquileia' echoing through the open courtyard.

A hero, huh?

I guess, in a way, I was now a step closer to becoming just like my father.

-(Scene Break)-

_She looks at her Servant's sitting figure, his back leaning against the wall by the side of her bed as his consciousness departs to the world of dreams. Usually, it was she who would fall asleep first while he would watch over her. But probably due to the stress of the battle from the previous night, not to mention the lack of sleep, his body must have finally succumbed to its need for rest. _

_As she looks at him while lying on her soft mattress, she notes the child-like expression that he had. In sleep, it seems that her Servant's innocence was at full display. _

_When they had first met, she could honestly say that she was scared senseless of him. In all her life, she had never seen someone cold-hearted enough to commit murder without even flinching. But staring at him right now, one would be hard pressed to believe that this person could ever stain his hands with other people's blood. _

_As this thoughts swirled in her head, she remembers how her Servant had worked so hard to save the city, how he spared King Joseph life, and how he had helped Sheffield. _

_This acts of kindness, to her, showed that her Servant had not yet completely fallen. That he was not the cold-hearted killer that she originally thought he was. _

_And then she remembers the cold aura of murderous intent that radiated from his persona when he had fired that arrow in an attempt to kill Joseph at an earlier time, and when he had threatened to murder both the Pope and his Servant… acts which reminded her that though he may not have fallen yet, it doesn't necessarily mean that her Servant wasn't already standing at the edge of that cliff that overlooked a sea of blood, ready to slip at any given moment and turn into the cold-hearted demon that she did not want him to become._

_She was not going to let that happen though. As strong as her Servant was, and though most people would scoff at the idea of someone like him ever needing to be saved, she knew better. As mature as he likes to act, she felt that he was no different from the other children that she used to care for back in her orphanage in Westwood. In many ways, he was still a child that needed to be protected as well. _

_And because no one else would volunteer for such a thankless task, she had decided to take it upon herself to do so. She may not be able to protect his body, but she would definitely do all that she can to protect his soul. She will not let his heart and mind fall into the abyss. _

"_Don't worry, Kiritsugu. I'm going to protect you." she whispers to herself before falling asleep._

_As she feels her consciousness drifting away, she soon finds herself dreaming of that all too familiar boy once more._

_The boy was standing in front of a small mound that was marked by three elongated pieces of rock as a long strip of cloth that was dyed in blood was tied at the tip of the central stone. The cloth was actually the same one that the boy had used to bandage the dead rabbit's wound, which most likely meant that this was where the boy had buried the small creature. _

_The boy stares at the make-shift grave, despair still etched on his face as he continued to mourn what others would've deemed as an insignificant loss. _

_For adults, the death of an animal was nothing to be sad about. It was because they considered it as something that would've happened eventually, a part of the natural law which dictated that the strong shall live while the weak shall die. _

_But to a child, especially those who have never experienced what it was like to see a living creature die, the loss of any life was an unbearable thing to witness. The children that she took care of in her orphanage were proof of this as she had seen them shed tears whenever they bore witness to the death of a bird or a stray cat._

_Behind the boy, the sound of rustling leaves echoes through the open greenery as the figure of a strawberry-blonde haired woman emerges from the surrounding foliage. It was the same woman who had appeared in her previous dream. _

_There was something very familiar about this woman, though she could not put her finger on what it was. She couldn't have met her before though since she wouldn't have forgotten ever meeting a person like this who had such an overpowering presence. _

_The woman approaches the boy, a look of resignation on her face as she lets out a long sigh. She seemed to have known that she would be able to find him here. As she stands behind the mourning child, placing her hand on top of his head, she tells him to move on already and that it wasn't his fault._

_She repeats the phrase that she had told him before._

"_You can't save everyone."_

_The boy begins to wipe the tears that had stained his cheeks as he speaks for the first time since his guest had arrived._

"_Teacher, I'm going to become strong." _

_The boy turns his head towards the woman, his blue eyes that resembled daggers greatly reminding her of her Servant._

"_I'll train hard every day until I become as strong as my father. I'll become just as strong as he was so that, like him, I'll be able to save everyone."_

_The older woman simply sighs after hearing the boy's declaration. He starts to tell him that as strong as his father was, even he couldn't save everyone. That he, with all his power, couldn't even save the most important person of all._

_He couldn't save himself._

_But the boy was no longer listening, his mind completely focused on the goal that he had set for himself. _

_He will become strong._

_He will become strong enough to save everyone._

_So on that night, after they had averted a great disaster from happening, she dreamt of a boy standing in front of a small grave as he begins his journey to reach a seemingly impossible dream. _

* * *

**Yo! Sorry for the long wait. Well, this Chapter is pretty damn long which contributed to why it took so long to post it. It's kind of weird since after the last Chapter I promised myself that I will NEVER do any more 30k word chapters again and this thing ended up being more than 10k words longer than the previous one. When I was reaching 25k on my word count I was actually 50/50 on wanting to cut it into two parts. But if there's one thing I hate as a reader, its abrupt cliffhangers so I decided to tank it and go forward. I guess you can consider this chapter the same as those 1 hour special episodes since this thing as basically the length of two chapters combined. I'm making a promise right now that I will never EVER right anything this long AGAIN. Anyway a few points that I want to discuss:**

**(1) Regarding the previous chapter where Kiri was bashing the hell out of Saito. I knew there was a danger that chapter would paint this fic as a character bashing fic but I decided to take that chance. If you think about it, this fic is told in first person POV so it's only natural that the characters bias will reflect greatly on the narration. Also in regards to why Kiri acted like that towards Saito and was pretty much blaming him for things that the poor guy doesn't really have control over, I think it would be best to give an example as to how I ended up giving Kiri such a reaction (I actually PM'd this to a couple of you guys to explain what my thought process was at that time). As a Lakerfan and as a Kobefan, if I was transported to a dimension where Eddie Jones remained as the starting 2-guard of the Lakers and Kobe was not a Laker (and as good as Eddie was I doubt we 3-peat with him or we rebuild fast enough to win back-to-back post Shaq) and I find that instead of 5 rings we end up winning just 1 or maybe 2… I'd be pissed as fuck. It's not Eddie's fault but the fan in me still would slightly blame him for it. So hopefully that clears a couple of things.**

**(2) If you noticed, in this chapter I snuck in my personal guess as to why Shirou in HoS wasn't getting any sort of damage from using Rho Aias and why he lived through using Excalibur. It's just a guess though since GB hasn't given his explanation either which is why I had Kiri mention that it was just a theory that the Duchess had.**

**(3) I'm pretty sure I messed up on the physics and political stuff that I stated in this Chapter. Honestly, I really sucked at Science (and Math) back in my school days. Also, I usually slept through our political science (not sure if right subject name) lessons. So let me be the first to apologize if I royally F'd up on this chapter in regards to things like that.**

**(4) Again, I would like your opinions on the fight scenes. As you may have noticed, I edited ZnT F Sheffield slightly to match her HoS version although she's still nerfed compared to GB's Sheffield. Also, I know you probably expected a bit of blood or massive life loss during this chapter so sorry to disappoint those specific readers who expected it. It's also a reason why I think that this Chapter will be a hit or miss to most (if not all) of you, even more so than the last Chapter. In fact, one of my bro's felt that this Chapter was one big cop out so I could postpone having Kiritsugu decide if he wants to follow Tiffa or not. I guess he has a point but technically speaking, I did just follow what happened in ep. 3 of ZnT F**

**(5) As for the guys that asked if I would follow the Anime or LN, as stated in the earlier chapters, I'll be following the timeline of the Anime while adding scenes from the LN. **

**(6) I would also appreciate some feedback on Kiri's interactions with Tiffa and Saito. If any of you guys have ever watched Slam Dunk, then I think you know where I'm going with Kiri and Saito in the future. Also, if you could give your comments on how the dynamic between Kiri and the Pope might be in the future that would be great. Also in regards to Kiri's magic resistance to his runes. I've read somewhere in the TM wiki that runes inscribed on a person's body are actually stronger and could still affect someone who has magic resistance. If any of you could elaborate on this I'd really appreciate it.**

**And one final thing. In this chapter I've specified some differences in regards to Kiri and Shirou's tracing. Just some more tidbits and hints in regards to Kiri's tracing(?) Anyway, RnR and thanks for keeping up with this little fic of mine. And go Lakers 2013! Can't wait for old man Nash alley-oop to Kobe or either one of our guys. (Still hoping D12 though) **


	6. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

Standing at the side of the upper deck of the Ostland, I could feel the cold night's air enveloping my body. The blue tunic that Mr. Colbert had given me to replace my irreparably damaged black sleeveless shirt was doing very little to keep me warm.

Our vessel had just left the southern port of Romalia - the fortress city Cittadella, over two days ago and was now close to leaving the air space of Gallia as it slowly makes its way back to Tristain. I was a bit worried about our ship taking this route back considering the fact that we had just been fighting the ruler of this land not so long ago. But my worries were quickly dispelled after a brief stop-over at the port of La Rochelle where we were able to get wind of what the current state of the country was.

It seems that after the news of Joseph's death had spread throughout the country, the southern vassals of Gallia had revolted against the remaining loyalist of the King which was already few and far in-between. The deceased King's attack against Romalia had served as the final straw for most of the Nobles of the land who happened to be devoted believers of the Brimiric faith and thus they had defected to the side of the rebellion. Joseph's daughter, the princess Elisabeth, had already fled the nation's capital of Lutece and was now in hiding. Internally, the whole country was in disarray and its military even more so. Taking all of these facts into consideration, I guess it was understandable that dealing with a non-military vessel like the Ostland would be the least of their concerns. Although I did somewhat feel bad for Miss Tabitha since she would have to be the one that has to sort out this whole mess once she takes over as Queen. The Gallian Princess had left our party after arriving at the port of La Rochelle and was supposedly headed to Lutece.

As the ship continues on its way, my sight looks ahead towards the landscape in front of me. In just over an hour we would be crossing over this dark horizon and arrive at the borders of Tristain. But this was not something that could be considered as a homecoming for me. The Tristain that I was going to would not be the same Tristain that I had left close to half a year ago, the citizens that reside within its territory would also not be my same countrymen. It was really one of the weird and very headache inducing things about being in an alternate world. Even though I was heading back to my home country, technically speaking that really was not the case. But mulling over this rather perplexing paradox was actually the farthest thing on my mind right now since there were other more migraine-inducing things that I was thinking about.

"Oi Kid? Why are you sulking?" the sentient blade on my back that had slightly lifted itself from its sheath asks me, probably curious of my current state of mind. "Are you worried about the Queen staying over at the Cathedral?" he takes a metaphorical stab at what could be causing my bad mood.

Her Majesty, the Queen Henrietta, had not joined us in our return trip back to Tristain. Instead, she decided to remain in Romalia for a bit longer much to my dismay. It was most likely due to political matters. The death of King Joseph and the abrupt vacancy of Gallia's throne would definitely have some far-reaching consequences for all the other nations. Hopefully, Her Majesty's relationship with this world's Queen Charlotte was just as good as their counterpart's in my world even with the absence of my father.

I shake my head.

Although I was wary of her safety, she did have Captain Agnes with her. Also, I doubt that Vittorio would do anything to her at the moment since he most likely had to put his plans on hold as well due to all the chaos that the battle with Gallia had caused. I'm also pretty sure that he wouldn't risk the young Duchess's already faltering belief in him to waver even more.

"Is it about what happened back in Romalia then?" the talking blade makes another guess.

I reply with a slight nod as a brief sigh escapes my breath.

Ever since that skirmish that happened in Aquelia and everything else that transpired on that night, all I could think of really was the fact that everything seemed to be playing out differently compared to the events of my world. I had from time to time started to deduce the reasons that had caused such a great degree of variance between the two. Without the support of the elf and his Servant Sheffield, the King Joseph of my world was probably unable to mount an attack against Romalia. Whether he had any other plans of organizing a similar attack was inconsequential since even before he could do so, my father had already been able to dispatch of him. There were no firestones nor were there any attempted invasions. The battle last night was something that should've never happened in the first place.

And that was the thing that was bothering me the most.

My father's absence, Saito's existence, and my presence here means that events would most likely unfold differently to how they happened in my world. It also means that I could not overly rely on my knowledge of past events since they could easily change or even not happen at all. I seriously have my work cut out for me now. Really, it was stuff like this that was making me hate the second magic more and more. I hope that guy Zelretch (whoever he is) trips on a banana peel or something and goes stumbling down a cliff which preferably had lots of jagged rocks at the bottom.

There was also another thing that was occupying my mind as well.

Closing my eyes, I recall the battle that I fought in last night. During the fight with King Joseph, I distinctly remember hearing my master's voice just when I was about to skewer him with Gae Bolg. But more than hearing her voice, I was more intrigued by the fact that I had actually listened and obeyed what it had told me.

_'I forbid you to kill anyone.'_

I don't know how or why but that one sentence comprising of six simple words was enough to make me commit one of the most unforgivable sins in the battlefield.

I had shown mercy to an opponent who I was in a life or death struggle with and had allowed him to live.

That was something that I had honestly never done before. From the very moment that I had started seriously training with Auntie Agnes, Captain Guiche, and the Duchess; all three of them had made sure to drill into my psyche that in any combat situation the only right choice was to kill your opponent before he or she could kill you. I had followed that rule for as long as I could remember. And yet after arriving in this world, I had already broken it twice. I know that I had fully committed myself on being a Servant, but I would've thought that I would draw the line in regards to matters such as this.

In that case, why did I follow that order then?

Lifting my right hand, I graze my fingers over the area of my chest where my Servant runes were etched.

From what I know, the runes that were etched on a familiar's body were supposed to make the said familiar completely obedient to its summoner. But that was only supposed to apply to animal familiars who had very little magical resistance. Creatures like humans and other entities that had far greater magical resistance were supposed to be immune to such compulsions. This rule should especially apply to me seeing that I was one of the few people in my world that was aware of his magic circuits so my resistance should be even greater. But after what had happened last night, I was starting to wonder whether I was as immune to the compulsions of my Servant runes as I initially thought.

"You should really try to relax a bit, kiddo." my Uncle advises me. "It's not a good habit to always over think stuff."

I sighed again. "I know that, Uncle. It's just that-."

"Kiritsugu?" I hear my master's call from behind me as I look back just in time to see her figure emerging from one of the doors that led to the upper deck of the ship. She was wearing her school uniform which was somewhat ironic since our main destination was coincidentally the Tristain Magic Academy; her blue cape draped over her body to ward off the cold air. "So this is where you were. I was wondering where you went."

"My apologies, Master." I reply. "I just wanted to get some fresh air."

"No, it's okay. You don't have to apologize, Kiritsugu." she frantically assures me whilst waving both of her hands in front of her.

"I thought that you'd be fast asleep in your cabin. Are you having a hard time sleeping?" I ask her.

She nods. "A little."

A playful smirk makes its way to my lips. "Would you like me to serve as your pillow again, Master?" I teased.

She quickly looks at me in embarrassment as her cheeks quickly glow a bright red.

"I-It's okay... t-there's no need for y-you to do that." she mumbles as her eyes dart down to her feet. I smile at her flustered reaction for a brief moment before returning my gaze towards the horizon in front of me. My master stands on the same spot where she was for a couple more seconds. After a while, the half-elf who was finally able to regain her composure begins to walk over to where I was standing as she positions herself beside me. "...So, we're finally going back to Tristain, huh?"

"We'll probably reach the nation's borders in about an hour or so. After that, we'll most likely arrive at the grounds of the Academy just after sunrise."

"Do ships like this exist in your world?" she asks out of curiosity as she leans on the steel railings of the ship.

"Yes," I answer. "Although they're more state-of –the-art compared to the Ostland. They're mainly used for transportion and commerce between neighboring countries since they're faster than the old airships that relied on windstones."

"Did you ever get to ride on one?" she continues to query further.

"I've ridden a number of them as a stowaway." I admit shamelessly which prompts her to smile awkwardly at me. "It couldn't be helped though since the fee for riding one is really expensive. The first time that I rode on one I had to pay an arm and a leg for it. I'm pretty short on money so I couldn't keep doing that." I tried to defend my actions to her though from the look that she had right now I don't think that I was doing a good job. I guess hearing about how her Servant was illegally boarding ships to save money was a rather unexpected topic to bring up.

"S-So you were travelling is that right?" she quickly asks, trying to change the subject.

I nod. "I left Tristania over half-a-year ago and I've been going around the continent quite a bit. I'd like to say that this would be the first time that I'd be returning to Tristain after so many months, but technically speaking that isn't really the case." I say to her as I indirectly cite the rather weird position that I was in.

"Kiritsugu… do you miss your home world?" she suddenly questions me from out of the blue. I was somewhat dumbstruck by her query, although I should've expected her to ask it sooner rather than later. My master was just that caring.

"I'd be lying if I said that I didn't." I answer her. Being honest, I do still want to go back. However, for some reason, finding a way to return was actually ranked very low on my priorities list. It was strange since I would've thought that I would have a bit more sense of urgency about finding a way back but I was really taking this whole thing so lightly. "But I've decided to take things as they come along. There's no use in worrying about how to go back anyway since I wouldn't have any idea on how I'd be able to return to my world. Besides, as a Servant my main goal is to protect my master. That's all."

I stare at her while saying this, her face slightly becoming more troubled with every word that I uttered. "Kiritsugu… do you by any chance feel strange compared to when you came here?"

"…Not really." I tell her as I slightly tilt my head to the side, my eyebrows scrunched together after hearing such a random question from out of nowhere. "Why'd you ask, Master?"

"It's just that I suddenly remembered how Saito's runes had sealed his longing for his home world." she mentions that fact which immediately catches my attention. I honestly didn't know that. I remember her saying something to that effect back when I was dealing with the three vessels that threatened to set the whole city of Aquileia on fire, but I never did pay it too much mind since at that time I was occupied with more important matters. The Duchess never really went into detail in regards to how the runes actually made a familiar obedient to his or her summoner. The only thing that she really mentioned to me about it was how my father had stated that he was immune to its influence. So this was really the first time that I was hearing about this. Her expression grows even more depressed as she lowers her head to the floor. "I'm starting to wonder whether your runes are having the same effect on you as it did Saito."

"Well, for what it's worth, my teacher told me that humans are supposed to be more resistant to magic than most animals. She also told me that because of the mechanics of the brand of magic that we use, I'm a bit more resistant to magical compulsions compared to most people." I try to assuage her worries by mentioning that little tidbit though I myself didn't mention how I was beginning to doubt the accuracy of that statement. "I'm not saying that she's always right but she's more knowledgeable when it comes to these types of things than I am."

"I see…" she sighs as the troubled expression on her face slightly softens though it wasn't completely erased.

"You seem troubled, Master." I state, bringing to light the uneasy mood that she seemed to be in. "Is there something bothering you perhaps?"

She doesn't answer me immediately, though based on the look of uneasiness on her face I could see that there was a mental struggle going on inside of her head. I wondered if she was debating whether it was better to tell me what she was thinking of right now or not.

"…It's just that I'm worried about you." she tells me which prompts one of my eyebrows to rise.

"Excuse me?" I involuntarily ask for clarification, taken aback by her answer to my question. For what reason would she be worried about me?

"Ever since the fight with Gallia and the meeting with His Holiness, I feel like you're always staring off into space as if you're thinking about something. You're more quiet now and you barely talked at all after we left Romalia." she elaborates on her answer. "I was actually thinking about the same thing that you are now; wondering if there was something bothering you or not?"

After hearing this, I sigh again as I turn my gaze away from, her and back to the dark landscape in front of me "It's nothing, Master." I respond casually. "I just have a very bad habit of overthinking things."

"Damn straight!" the sentient blade on my back shouts out, breaking his silence with that loud declaration. "I've always told you to relax a bit. But do you ever listen? Of course not! It wouldn't surprise me if one day all the hairs on your head turn white because of thinking too damn much."

"Well, I hope that doesn't happen since I don't think white hair suits me in the first place." I quip back at the talking sword; a wry grin crossing my lips, though I did get what my uncle was saying. My master, however, seems to not have been convinced by my assurances to her as a more serious expression starts to cloud her features.

"The thing that's bothering you… it wouldn't have something to do with what happened with King Joseph and His Holiness, could it?" she throws out her guess which accurately hits the mark like the tip of an arrow piercing an enemy's heart.

I remain silent, not affirming what she said or even turning to her to acknowledge the question. Seriously, how in the root's name does she keep doing that? Am I being too obvious with my thoughts here? Or was her ability to empathize with other people just that great?

"Are you thinking that sparing King Joseph's life when you had the chance to kill him was a mistake?" she questions me even further despite my refusal to look at her.

A minute of complete silence passes the two of us by before I finally decide to break it myself.

"I don't think that it was a mistake… I know it was." I answer her, the friendliness in my voice all but disappearing. "I shouldn't have done that."

"No, that's not-."

"He was just too dangerous." I cut her off as I continued to air out my frustrations. "I should've killed him when I had the chance."

"Kiritsugu please, stop saying things like that..!"

"It's not my fault Master since you were the one who brought this up." I chide back. "Besides, he still ended up dying anyway so I don't see what the big fuss of me wanting to speed up the inevitable is."

"That… T-That's not the point though..!" she stubbornly continues, not willing to let go of her convictions in regards to this matter. Unfortunately for her, I was also a very stubborn person when I wanted to be.

"But it is," I cut her off again. "Let's say that we were able to somehow save Joseph from dying, do you actually believe for one second that the people of Romalia wouldn't want his severed head placed on a stake? Do you think that the people who had suffered because of his misdeeds wouldn't want him to be tortured in the worst way possible?" I narrate the possibilities that the half-elf beside me had probably not taken into account. "In fact, I think that he was lucky to have died as he did since he was spared from the humiliation and punishment that awaited him in Aquileia. So in a way, I guess you could say that we still ended up saving him."

"Stop talking like that!" my master shouts at me, a slight tinge of anger staining her voice. She definitely did not appreciate my unorthodox way of looking at things. "I… I-I don't want to hear you saying things like that! You shouldn't be glad that someone died, even if that someone was an enemy." I grip the steel railings of the Ostland tighter. After hearing that reasoning of hers, I myself had to contain the growing anger that I was feeling towards my master. To think that she was really this naïve. And the worst part of it was I think that her naivety was beginning to rub off on me. "Besides, everyone came out fine in the end so I think that given the right circumstances we could've been able to save him and-..!"

"You're wrong, Master." I quickly cut in on her once more, her previous statement proving to be the last straw. "Not everyone came out of that battle okay. And also, have you already forgotten how many people died on that night? For you to say that everything turned out fine is a bit short-sighted, don't you think?" I pressed on. There was a hint of derision and anger in the tone of my voice. Truthfully, I regarded what she had said to be an insult. Had this woman not been my master then I would've slapped some sense into her right then and there.

"…I'm sorry. I was wrong to have said that." she apologizes. I would've liked our discussion to have ended at that but to my chagrin she continues to draw out the whole thing. "But I still think that you sparing King Joseph's life was not a mistake. Although we weren't able to save him in the end, I still think that it was the right thing to do."

"Honestly Master, I find your obsession of trying to save your enemies disconcerting to say the least." I reply back with the same tone that I used earlier. "Tell me, if you were to see two people pointing a knife at each other, which one would you save?"

"I would tell both of them to stop." was her simple answer to my hypothesized scenario.

"Hmph!" I huffed in mockery of her reply. "And what if neither of them were to listen to you? What're you going to do then?"

She lowers her gaze to the floor, struck silent by the quandary that I had presented to her as she was unable to answer it.

"In the end, you'll have to side with one of them or risk losing both. You'll have sacrifice one to save the other." I tell her my solution to this particular problem.

"…So you would abandon one for the other." I could feel a tangible sadness in her voice as she said this to me.

"It's better than being unable to save either." was my immediate reply. Statistics-wise, being able to spare at least one person from death would be a much more acceptable result than losing both and walking away with nothing.

"Sacrifice a hundred to save a thousand, sacrifice ten to save a hundred," I hear my master recite those very familiar lines at me much to my own confusion. "Sacrifice one to save ten… I remember you saying that back in the throne room in Romalia." She then turns to look at me, her eyes of sapphire blue shining with a sympathetic light. "I think that such a choice is just too cruel for one person to make."

"But nonetheless, it's the only choice there is."

"No, Kiritsugu. There's always another choice." my gaze turns to her as she says this, a slight frown etching my lips which was in direct opposition to the small smile on hers. "Why not try to save everyone then? I think that having a mentality like that is better, don't you think?" she says this as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I mean, you were able to stop Sheffield without killing her so it's not that farfetched, right?"

The fact that she said it so easily only adds to my irritation. How could she say that? Does she actually believe that saving people is such a simple thing? I had tried to pursue that path before and I had spent the majority of my childhood chasing after that impossible ideal, the same ideal that my father had held on to.

But I wasn't strong enough. In the end, the harsh reality of the world showed me how weak I really was and I realized that as I am now I wouldn't be able to follow through on such a grand dream like that.

So I made a compromise and decided that if I couldn't save everyone then I would at least try to save as many as I could.

"You are an optimist, Master. And that's probably one of the things that I hate about you." I tell her straight to her face which immediately prompts her smile to fade almost instantly. "The only reason why I allowed Sheffield to live is because I coincidentally had the right tools that would enable me to remove her as a threat. She was in many ways a special case, but that doesn't mean that I can apply that same thinking to every battle that I go to." I explain to her as I tried to snuff out the false hope that she might've gotten from that particular instance. "If you go out with that kind of mentality then you're only setting yourself up to fail. No matter what you do, you can't help but sacrifice the lives of the few to save the many. Even last night, that fact was in full display for everyone to see. How many soldiers do you think died to prevent Joseph from destroying Aquileia?"

"But that still doesn't make it right!"

"I know. But it also doesn't make it wrong either." I quickly countered. "You can't save everyone, Master." I tell her one of the Duchess's earliest lessons to me, something that she had made sure to remind me at every opportunity that she had during the time when I was traveling with her. Looking back, I think that she wanted to disillusion me from the path that I chose but I was just too stubborn to realize it quickly enough.

I see my Master's eyes widen upon hearing that statement of mine. I could only hope that she was finally starting to see where I was coming from.

"Oi! Sword boy!" a loud and very familiar voice echoes from behind us. Glancing back to the door where my master had emerged from, I see Saito and his Derflinger standing just a few feet from where we were.

"Oh! Sorry for interrupting." Saito quickly apologizes. "I didn't realize that you two were talking. I'll come back later."

"It's fine. We weren't discussing anything important." I tell the Chevalier, inwardly grateful for his sudden arrival since I was starting to grow tired of this particular discussion with my master. "What brings you here anyway?"

"Louise wanted to talk to you. I think she really wants to ask you a couple of very important questions." he reveals which causes me to sigh yet again.

'Didn't any of you at least tell her anything?" I ask.

"Well, I did give her the gist of what you told us," his hand then starts to scratch the back of his head. "But I think that she's having a hard time believing anything that we're telling her."

I let out a huff of resignation. "I guess it can't be helped." I finally give in. I've been delaying the inevitable for far too long. For the past couple of days I've made a conscious effort of trying to avoid Miss Vallière which was not easy to do since we've been traveling inside the same airship up to now. But I guess it was probably time for me to get this over and done with. I wasn't sure how I could properly explain this whole thing to the young Duchess. All I know is that, based on what I've seen from her, I have a feeling that she's going to have hard time grasping the notion that she may grow up to become a rather infamous person. There was also a few things that I wanted to discuss with her as well.

As I decide to follow Saito to the open entrance that led to the inside of the airship like a prisoner being led to the gallows, I feel a slight tug on my tunic.

"Kiritsugu…" my master whispers my name as I find that it was in fact her hand that had grabbed on to the blue cloth that I was wearing. "Will you still follow my order?"

Both of us stand on that spot, motionless like two life-sized statues. I had already expressed my displeasure in regards to that particular order especially since it had proven to be a great burden during battle, but nonetheless… "I won't give out any assurances, Master. But I'll try." I tell her. "I've already given my word so that's the least that I can do."

Though I may not look like it, I was still of noble birth. I may not wear the expensive cloaks or extravagant clothes that most of the nobility wore, but I still had my pride as an aristocrat. I had already promised her that I would follow her order. So as much as possible, I will do all that I can to follow through with that promise. Be that as it may, I still wanted to clarify one more thing to her. "Just be aware that by me following your orders, I may be putting you and anyone that you know in danger. An enemy that is allowed to live is one of the most dangerous foes there is. I'm still going to use my personal judgment in battle. And if I ever believe that my opponent is too dangerous to keep alive, then I won't make the same mistake that I did with King Joseph."

This was the best compromise that I could come up with. Whether she agrees to it or not is no longer a concern of mine.

"I won't take that order back," she releases her hold on the fabric of my tunic. "But I won't force you to follow it either." I glance back at my master one more time, only to gaze upon a rather unexpected sight. "At least that way, you'll always have a choice." she says as I see a warm and very gentle smile on her face.

As we both decide to finally follow the black-haired Chevalier who was already way ahead of us, I find that her words had somehow gotten stuck in my head.

For as long as I could remember, the only choice that I've ever known in the battlefield was kill or be killed. I don't know what my master was thinking in trying to provide me with such a nonsensical choice that, in normal circumstances, I would never willingly choose. Then again, I've always found her so hard to understand in the first place. Her simple-mindedness and pure outlook in life was just something that I couldn't fathom at all.

Sometimes, I can't help but wonder if I really was the right Servant for her.

-(Scene Break)-

"You! Sit right there!" the young Duchess growls like an irate dragon upon seeing me enter her cabin. From the tone of her voice, I had a feeling that she was going to cut through the chase and be all business. I briefly look at her small frame that was standing on top of her bed, her right hand that coincidentally was holding her wand pointing at the open space that was in front of her. She was probably trying to compensate for her diminutive stature so as to make herself a bit more imposing, though even with the added height we were still practically at eye level right now.

I look around the small cabin as I also see that there were others people within our midst. On the Duchess's right was the Captain of this world's Undine Knight, Sir Guiche, together with his three lieutenants and his blonde lover. There was also the fiery red-head whom I had just discovered to really be this world's version of my Auntie Kirche (a fact that was making me very uncomfortable especially seeing that she had just given me a very flirtatious wink right now). With the additions of Saito and my master who had just emerged from the entrance, plus myself, it was making this already tiny room very cramped. I let out a sigh; this was definitely going to be a very long night.

I approach the place where the pinkette was pointing to. Surrendering myself to the inevitable, I kneel on the floor, folding my legs underneath my thigh. I usually took this position whenever I was about to be scolded by the Duchess since it enabled me to run for my life like The Blue herself was chasing after me if the need ever arises - which it usually did at least seven out of ten times.

"Now, let's have you give a clear explanation!" she orders me with authority as she folds her arms in front of her chest, her wand sticking out of her hand.

Right now, I was doing my best not to laugh out loud and give her a reason to go off even more. It was just so hard not to feel like that since, in a way, I had experienced being in this very scene numerous times in the past. The only difference was, instead of having one of the most feared mages in the History of Halkeginia looking down at me and causing me to fear for my life, I now was staring at a much younger, more ill-tempered, and slightly bratty version of that same mage.

That old fart Zelretch, if he had any sort of hand in this, must have a really weird sense of humor.

"What exactly is it that you want me to explain?" I ask her.

"Everything!" she shouts at the very top of her voice which causes my eardrums to ring.

"Hasn't Saito already told you most of it though?"

"As if I could believe something that's so farfetched! The young Duchess quickly points the tip of her wand at my forehead and for a second I wondered whether or not she was annoyed enough to cast an explosion spell at me. "An alternate world that's practically the same as ours only two decades ahead and I summoned someone else instead of Saito? Even an amateur novelist would laugh at such a crazy idea like that!" Her whole body then starts to shake. "And the most unbelievable thing about it…" she swiftly proceeds to point towards the blonde Captain's direction. "…is someone like Guiche becoming a square-class mage!"

I had to literally cover my mouth to hide the smile on my face after hearing that one. The captain of the Undine Knights, however, was not as amused as I was based on the look of indignation that he had right now. I could somewhat see where she was coming from though since after observing how this version of one my mentors usually acted in the past couple of days, I'd also be very hard-pressed to think that there was actually an alternate version of himself that grew up to become such a 'badass' as the Captain usually described it.

"Tell me the truth! Who in the founder's name are you?" she continues her interrogation, cutting off any attempt that Sir Guiche had in addressing the not-so ambiguous slight of his magical abilities.

"But I am telling the truth." I reply. "I really did come from an alternate world resembling this one."

"Hah! I would never believe such a blatant lie like that!" she stubbornly insists. "Another world that is entirely different from ours is one thing, but an alternate world is just completely too much!"

At this point, I couldn't stop myself from letting out a brief chuckle which immediately catches the young Duchess's attention.

"What exactly is so funny!" she scolds me yet again as she threateningly points the tip of her wand at where I was sitting.

"Nothing, it's just that your reaction was the same as mine when my teacher first tackled this subject with me." It wasn't just that though since I was also getting a kick out of the fact that compared to before when it was the Duchess who was trying to convince me of the existence of the second magic; it was now I who had to take on that role for her younger self.

"Teacher?" the pinkette in front of me momentarily closes her eyes in deep thought. "I remember Guiche telling me that his 'alleged' future-self ended up being your mentor."

"Although he is indeed one of my mentors, he mainly taught me in regards to combat and swordsmanship. It was actually my teacher in the art of magecraft who told me this."

"Teacher in magecraft? Who is it? Prof. Colbert? One of the other teacher's in the academy perhaps?" she asks, her curiosity momentarily overtaking her disbelief of my story.

"Actually, it's you." I replied nonchalantly.

It takes a couple of seconds before she finally registers my answer.

"…Eh?"

"Like I said, the person who taught me the basic principles of the magic system that I use is technically you. The third daughter of the Vallière family: Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière. The infamous Duchess of Emptiness."

A couple more seconds of silence passes us by before the pinkette is finally able to react to what I had just said.

"Ehhhh?!" she shrieks, her eyes as wide as the twin moons. "What! Me? Instructor! But how? Wait! Duchess of Emptiness?" she incoherently begins to babble. I wasn't even sure whether she was asking me an actual question or she was just expressing her own disbelief.

Deciding to clarify everything with her, I finally start to explain.

"In the world where I came from you would grow up to become one of the most feared and most powerful mages in Halkeginia." I tell her which prompts the young Duchess's mouth to slightly hang open. "You would accompany my father, the King of Swords, on many of his greatest adventures, making a name for yourself in the process. In time, your enemies would dub you with the title of the Duchess of Emptiness which ironically enough coincided with your elemental affinity."

And so, I ended up spending the next half-hour telling her all about the great legend of the Duchess of Emptiness.

Of how she had once stopped a large tidal wave from engulfing one of the port towns of Gallia.

The siege of the orc settlements in Romalia.

Of how she had almost single-handedly defeated a platoon of Germanian troops sent by the Emperor Albrecht the III to illegally claim the lands that had rightfully belonged to my Auntie Kirche's family

And her participation in the last great war of my world.

I even told the young Duchess of some of the things that I had personally seen her older-self do; such as her killing the giant sea monster that resided in the oceans of Tristain who had made the mistake of disturbing her during one of her late-afternoon swims and how she had cooked it to serve as our dinner for that night. And of how the old nobility of Tristain which was one of the most stubborn and noisiest in the continent would stop in their regular shouting sessions whenever she would appear in the courts.

And with every great feat that I would mention, her jaw would drop just a bit lower. Both her arms were now hanging limply on her sides, while her wand had fallen on to the soft mattress of the bed. Her eyes had even began to descend into unending spirals, a clear sign that she was definitely having a hard time comprehending what I was telling her.

Her reaction was something that I should've expected though.

As my Uncle Derf had said on the night that we had first arrived here and we had discovered where we actually were, the young Duchess of this world most likely had not yet resolved her personal issues. And from what I've seen from her, at the present, it was a fair to guess that she was still nowhere near as powerful as her older self. Also, from the stories that I've heard from Miss Eléonore, the Duchess in her earlier years was considered as a failure due to her lack of affinity with the four common elements which is why she was nicknamed 'The Zero'. If it was the same case here then it was only natural for her to express so much disbelief. After all, it's not every day that you get to hear about how you could become a rather infamous person in the future.

"A-A-All of t-those t-things… D-Did I really..?" she stutters uncontrollably to which I nod.

"Yes."

"A-A-An-And I could even b-beat elves too?" she asks again.

I nod. "The Duchess was probably one of the few people in the history of the continent who could defeat elves in one-on-one combat."

A long and very uncomfortable pause reigns over every one in the room. I wasn't sure whether the mythical exploits that I had detailed had rendered them speechless or had instead made my tale too unbelievable for them to buy into. After a while, Miss Vallière jumps from out of the bed and walks over towards me, somewhere during that momentary pause she had regained her composure as the shock that her face had exhibited was no longer there. Her expression, however, was now unreadable and as she approached I could feel a cold chill run down my spine. For the first time since I met her, I started to really see the resemblance between the young Duchess and the older one. As she stood in front of me, more menacing than I had ever seen her before, she quickly grabs hold of the collar of my tunic and brings my face closer to hers.

"You're not lying, right?" she asks, the tone of her voice sounding so much like her older self whenever she was about to blow a particularly annoying person into a hundred pieces of meaty chunks (literally).

I frantically shake my head, my mind being overrun by dozens of flashbacks that showcased the Duchess in her most terrifying moments. I was desperately trying to convince myself that there was no way that she could do those same things to me. That no, I wasn't about to die.

I'm really not going to die, right? Right?!

"If you're lying, I'll kill you." she declares with the same tone of voice.

I gulped. I think this was probably what that sea monster felt just before the Duchess turned it into that night's meal. Maybe I should make a run for it right now?

"But I'm really not lying. Why would I?" I insisted, a tinge of panic in my voice.

"Prove it."

"Uh, I have a talking sword. What other kind of proof do you need?" Seriously, it's not like a sentient sword was a copper coin a dozen. And I highly doubt that a sword that had such a unique personality like my Uncle would easily be duplicated.

"That's not enough." she tells me, much to my disbelief. "I need more evidence to support your story."

"Okay, how about the fact that I know things that no one else aside from very close people should know about you." I tell her as I started to enumerate certain things that I knew about the Duchess which was not known to the general public. "Like how your mother is actually the legendary Karin 'The Heavywind', or how you once worked in the Charming Faeries Inn as an agent of Her Majesty, or that your second oldest sister is actually you're favorite among your family members and you usually call her Big sister Chi."

It was a pretty risky gamble for me to have done this since if one of those things that I had mentioned was not the same in this world as they were in mine then all of my credibility would go down the drain. But I had to which is why I stuck to simpler facts that should be the same in this world as they were in mine.

"How did you know that?" the pinkette mutters to my relief as her hold on the collar of my tunic slightly loosens. I guess those three facts that I had mentioned had remained the same in this reality.

"Of course, I'd know about those." I calmly spoke as I too began to regain a bit of my composure as well. "You were the one who told me about them."

"I… I did?"

"Yes, you did." I told her as if to dispel any remaining doubt in my honesty.

"So you're telling the truth then." she whispers, the shellshock in her voice somewhat returning.

"I've been telling the truth from the start, you know." I chide her for taking so long to believe me though, again, I couldn't really blame her for being so skeptical.

"So… the person that you were talking about earlier… was really me?"

I sigh for what felt like the millionth time since I arrived in this world. "In a way, yes."

She remained motionless for a full minute after hearing my answer to her last question, her facial expression again reverting back to that unreadable slate that so reminded me of her older counter-part. And just when I was starting to worry that the stress of it all had caused her mind to finally snap, I notice her eyes blinking ever so slowly. She lifts her head and before long an expression of pure bliss emanates from every inch of her face.

By the root, I could even see bits of sparkling light shining over head as if a sunbeam had been filtered from the clouds and had somehow penetrated the thick wooden and steel walls of the Ostland just so that it could illuminate her figure… and it wasn't even morning yet!

"Wonderful…" she mutters while still having that weird expression on her.

"Uh, are you okay?"

"This is just… wonderful." she mutters to herself again.

I was starting to worry about her now since she just looked so out of it. "No seriously, are you okay?"

"THIS IS ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL!" she shouts at me as she immediately grabs hold of my hand and clasps it together with hers. Her grip on me was so tight that I thought that my fingers would be deformed. "THIS IS INCREDIBLE! I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT I TURNED INTO SUCH AN INCREDIBLE PERSON!"

"Uh… T-That's good to hear." I say to her while at the same time trying to free my hand from her grasp though it was to no avail. I think I might have to use a bit of reinforcement so I could salvage whatever was remaining of my hand.

"THIS IS GREAT! I'LL MAKE SURE THAT I PRACTICE EVERYDAY FROM NOW ON UNTIL I BECOME JUST LIKE THAT!"

'Er… I think you shouldn't go overboard with that." I tell her as I tried to calm her down. Besides, I don't think this world is ready to handle someone like the Duchess just yet. "It's not a sure thing that you-."

"NO! I'LL DEFINITELY BECOME SOMEONE LIKE THAT!" she exclaims passionately at me, not even wanting to listen to whatever I was about to say to her. "NOW THAT I KNOW WHAT KIND OF PERSON I CAN BECOME, I'M DEFINITELY GOING TO BE SOMEONE THAT'S JUST LIKE THAT!"

I could feel my heart sink as I bear witness to her declaration.

In the name of the five true magics… What terrible horror have I unleashed unto this world!

After that sequence, it took the combined efforts of everyone that was present inside the small cabin to try and calm her down. She was very much like a kid who had just found out that the celebration of the Founder's birthday had come early. Even now that we were able to get her to finally sit still, that goofy smile of hers remained plastered all over her face. She had also started whispering to herself while trying to suppress a rather creepy laugh. Really, I was beginning to regret telling her all of that, or at least I should've downplayed her achievements by a bit but then again it was already too late for that.

"So is that everything that you wanted to ask?" I eye her with a very annoyed look on my face.

"Wait! What about me?" Sir Guiche speaks for the first time. That didn't surprise me though since I had a feeling that one of the reasons why he came here was to find out more about his alternate world counterpart.

"How about us?" Sir Gimli and Sir Reynald simultaneously exclaim at the same time, their excitement practically overflowing from their eyes. "Did we become Square-class mages too?!"

"Well , both of you reached triangle class although you two were still-!"

"How about me?!" Sir Malicorne suddenly interjects himself into the conversation as he uses his large belly to push both Sir Gimli and Sir Reynald aside. Quickly rushing towards me, he grabs hold of my shoulders with both of his hands while inching his face close to mine, uncomfortably invading my personal space. "What about me, Kiritsugu?! What happened to me?!"

"Well, you also reached triangle-class just like Sir Gimli and Sir Rey-!"

"I don't care about that!" he shouts at me with that very high-pitched voice of his, which causes me to raise an eyebrow at him. "Did I ever become popular with girls? Did I ever get a girlfriend?"

"Uh… about that, well…"

The honest answer was 'no'. Unfortunately, as respected and powerful as Sir Malicorne was, he just didn't appeal to those who belonged to the opposite sex. Maybe it was because he was nowhere near as handsome as the Captain or his other fellow lieutenants. Maybe it was because his body had filled out in all the wrong places which made him resemble a large walking barrel. Or maybe it was his voice that had remained just as high pitched as it was now. Whatever it was, he was probably the only founding member of the Undine Knights that had not been romantically linked to any of the noble girls in the continent. I even remembered how one of the earlier recruits of the order had started making 'Forever alone' jokes in regards to the Grand Windward's love woes. That particular recruit ended up regretting it though since he was immediately thrown to the griffin's pit by Sir Malicorne as he had him join me in the senior knights training sessions. That guy immediately resigned the day after.

"So I ended up getting a girlfriend, right!" he continues to incessantly badger me while at the same time his arms begin to shake my upper body as if that would help in making me answer his query faster.

"Er… you see…"

"I have a girlfriend, right? Right!? RIGHT!?"

I could see a crazed look in his eyes; he was practically begging me to say yes. This was bad. I knew this was going to hurt the guy, but lying to him would just make things a hundred times worse.

"N-N…"

Come on me, just spit it out.

"N-No… No doubt

Dammit, I just can't do it.

"I KNEW IT!" he shouts out in absolute glee as tears of euphoria starts flooding down his eyes. "What's her name, Kiritsugu?!"

"Er... It's, um..." I started to panic, my eyes' line of sight shifting from side to side, unable to look directly at the overzealous wind mage. Damn it! My mother was right. Lying really did make things a hundred times worse. In an attempt to cover up for myself, I blurt out the first name that I could think of. "It's... umm... M-Ma-Marie? That's right. Marie Sauvet." I tell him, remembering the name of a young singer that I had once seen perform in the large theater in Tristania.

"Miss Marie Sauvet, huh? What an absolutely gorgeousl name!" he dreamily exclaims. "She's probably a real beauty too, right?"

I nervously nod at him in reply. I guess I'll let him dream for a little while longer. Hopefully, he isn't too heartbroken when he finds out the truth.

"What does she look like? So how did the two of us meet? Is she from the academy too? Come on, Kiritsugu! Throw me a bone here, will you?" he bombards me with even more question concerning the imaginary lover that I had conjured up for him which simply made me uncomfortable.

Come on, Root. I know you're enjoying this too much already. But could you at least give me some slack for once and get me out of this situation.

"I have a question." I hear Saito's voice from out of the rest of the crowd, the serious tone of his prompting everyone including me and the plump wind mage to turn our sights towards him. "Your father, the person who was summoned to be the Gandalfr of your world, what kind of relationship did he have with Louise?"

His question immediately draws the attention of not just me but of every one inside the small room. It was a surprising question, but not totally unexpected. It was only natural for Saito to at least be slightly curious of the person who, in his point-of-view, had replaced him the same way that I was curious about the Chevalier himself. Also, by the way that he had worded his question, I think that it wasn't just curiosity that was driving him to ask about my father.

"The Duchess and her Servant were very close. From what I've heard, there was probably no one that they trusted more than each other." I tell the Chevalier in front of me whose face had suddenly turned sour. "What the two of them shared was special; a bond that surpassed the normal ties of camaraderie, friendship, or even marriage. At least that's what the Duchess told me."

"I did?" the pinkette sounds off, the topic of our conversation peaking her interest enough to momentarily take her out of her earlier revelry.

"Well, not you per se, but you get what I mean."

"I haven't really heard anything about your father yet, Kiritsugu. But from what Saito and the other's told me he was supposed to be a very famous war hero or something, is that right?" she asks to which I nod in reply. "Could you tell me more about him then?" she asks me further, her curiosity shifting from what her older self is like to what kind of person she had summoned to her side in my world was.

"…He was a legend," I start off. "To his enemies, he was the Devil personified in flesh and bone. Even up to now, the very mention of the King of Sword's name is enough to strike fear into the hearts of Tristain's enemies. But to his friends and allies, he was simply a great man."

"About your father," Saito cuts me off with a query. "Was he and Louise... a couple?"

The Chevalier's question quickly causes the atmosphere in the room to thicken.

Saito and the Young Duchess, based on the acts of affection that I've seen from both of them, were lovers. So I guess it was to be expected for him to ask me such a question. I'm sure that he was wondering (and slightly worried) about who had taken his place as the young Duchess's lover in my world. And as far as logical deductions go, the first person that he most likely would suspect was my father.

The crowd inside the small cabin briefly looks at Saito before turning their sight towards me. Miss Vallière in particular seemed to be aghast at Saito's query and had again begun to wear a very shell-shocked expression on her face.

"You never did tell us who your mother was." Saito mentions as he continues to stare down at my seated posture.

"Kiritsugu... You... It can't be," The pinkette with him stares at me intently as well, unspoken words of surprise and confusion swirling in her eyes. I wonder if the expression that she had on right now would be similar to this world's version of my mother if she ever found out about me. "Don't tell me that you're my-."

For a second I was actually tempted to say 'yes' just so that I could see what kind of reaction she would have. But, honestly, I've already lied to Sir Malicorne and would most likely pay for that later down the road. I didn't want to complicate things any more than I already have so I decided to tell them the truth.

"No, I'm not your son." I declare to her and the crowd with us. "Though the bond that you two shared was indeed special, it didn't have any romantic connotations to it." I explain to her. And besides, if that had indeed been the case then such a thing would've definitely strained the Duchess and my mother's friendship greatly. "The relationship between a Master and a Servant is something that is founded on mutual trust and respect. Although it's not unheard of for feelings of affection to surface, it's not the main foundation of their bond."

A sigh of relief escapes both the young Duchess and the Chevalier's breath. I found it to be rather amusing for them to feel that way. I guess knowing that the feelings that they harbored for each other wasn't something that could easily be duplicated was quite the burden off their minds.

Frankly, the thought of me being the Duchess's son was a very awkward and equally frightful thing to even consider. I've heard stories from the Duchess herself of how terribly strict her mother was and how she is the only person that she ever feared. I have no doubt that the Duchess would adapt a very similar method of parenting which is why I pitied any future nephew or niece that I would have from her. And if ever the pinkette in front of me were to actually become anything like her alternate world self… then Saito would most definitely have my sympathy.

"Wait." Miss Vallière turns to look at me again with a very inquisitive expression. "So if I'm not your mother, who is it then?"

Tsk, I was afraid that she might bring this up.

Based on my observations, this younger version of the Duchess was someone who regarded the status quo quite highly. And although her older-self had no qualms about a member of the Royal family (not to mention her childhood friend) getting together and bearing a child with someone who didn't even have a single drop of noble blood flowing in his veins, I wasn't so sure that she would be as understanding. Also, for the people with me to find out just exactly who I was would merely complicate things.

"That's really not important. We have much more urgent matters to discuss right now." I try to dissuade her as I desperately made an attempt to change the subject of our conversation.

"Oh come on!" the pinkette whines. "I just really want to know. Can't you at least give me a hint or something?"

"I'll tell you some other time." I calmly continue to try and disinterest them in regards to that subject but the young Duchess proved to be too persistent to my liking and had started randomly blurting out guesses of who my mother actually was.

"It couldn't be Kirche since you called her Auntie earlier and I'd rather die than let her corrupt my Servant." she murmurs to herself in deep thought while her head was slightly bowed down. The redhead in question, however, seemed more amused than offended by her comment.

And it's not like the young Duchess was wrong on her assumptions either since I've heard a good number of stories concerning my very liberated Aunties numerous attempts at trying to seduce my father. Most of them right on par with my Mother Siesta's more debauched novels.

"Maybe Agnes, although I'm not so sure that she's even that interested in men… especially after what happened before." She mentions offhandedly as her cheeks blush a faint red.

I causally scratch the side of my cheek with my finger. I know that my Auntie Agnes was a bit off a tomboy so such an assumption couldn't really be helped.

"How about Jessica or some of the other girls working in the Charming Faeries Inn," she continues to guess. "But then again, Scarron is there so…"

I slightly look away as a rather unwelcome image comes to mind. I doubt that any serious suitors would actively try to woe either Aunt Jessica or any of the other girls there since Uncle Scarron would most likely get in the way by using his body in the most disturbing means possible.

"No… it couldn't be…" he raises her sight towards me again with a look of sudden realization dawning on her face. "Don't tell me that you're…"

I stare at her patiently, inwardly wondering whether she had figured everything out by herself already. If she did then it was quite surprising seeing that I never even gave her any clue as to my mother's identity. She may have based it on the relationship that Saito had with the women around her. This somewhat troubled me since that meant that the black-haired Chevalier and Her Majesty had already nurtured a relationship that could be considered romantic by the people around them.

If that really was the case, if this philandering idiot was even thinking of making the Queen Henrietta a part of some sort of harem, then his got another thing coming.

I spare Saito a brief glare which prompts him to look at me in confusion.

Damn idiot! If you think that I'm just going to stand pat and allow something like that to happen, then you're out of luck! It'll be a very cold day in hell before I let you get your perverted hands on Her Majesty!

While I was in the midst of tempering the murderous intent that I had been directing towards this world's Gandalfr, I suddenly found the collar of my tunic being gripped by a familiar pair of very dainty hands which causes me to snap back to attention.

"Your mother, it's her isn't it!" Miss Vallière shouts at me again, this time with much more force than she did earlier. She really might've figured it out already. But I never thought that her reaction would be this bad. Was she really that against two people from differing social classes being together? Wasn't she being a bit of a hypocrite since her lover isn't someone of great social standing either? "Your mother… It's Siesta, isn't it!"

I stare at her quietly for a good ten seconds before letting a simple "Huh?" escape my breath.

My assumptions ended up being way over the mark.

"Don't play dumb! It's that damn maid, right!" she insists while shaking me by the collar of my shirt. Although she too was way off, why was she so against the idea of my father being together with Mother Siesta? I do vaguely remember Miss Siesta expressing her slight dislike towards the young Duchess when we were having some afternoon tea back in Romalia. But I never thought that the grudge between the two of them was this bad. I just don't get it. Anyway, I better clarify this one now before my tunic gets ripped. I just borrowed this from Professor Colbert so I still had to return it in one piece.

"Well, I do call her mother but-."

"Aha! I knew it!" she shrieks again which causes my ears to ring, cutting my explanation short. "So it really is Siesta!"

"Like I said, even though I call her mother she's-!"

"Shut up you!" she commands me with a very deranged look in her eye. "If that maid ever gets wind of this then she might think that she actually has a chance of getting Saito!"

Well, fortunately for her, Miss Siesta was quietly sleeping in one of the other rooms of the ship.

"Louise, calm down." the Chevalier tries to reason with his master. "I'm sure that Kiritsugu here is-.. geh!" he stops mid-sentence upon seeing the unrelenting pinkette glaring at him, silently telling him to mind his own business.

She turns her sights towards me again, her eyes swirling with an inner madness that I have yet to see from anyone – not even from her older self. "Listen here! You are not allowed to tell Siesta about this. Are we clear?!"

"Would you at least listen to me?" I pleaded for reason. "I'm trying to tell you that she's-!"

"I said are we clear on that…" she cuts off my explanation again, her tone of voice greatly resembling the Duchess of Emptiness once more.

Right now, my instincts were telling me that unless I wanted to die then I better keep my mouth shut and just nod. Seriously, I'm starting to hope that I hadn't just set this person down the path of turning into another Duchess.

But knowing my luck, that's probably what I had just done.

…Such misfortune.

-(Scene Break)-

"So? What's this important thing that you wanted to talk about?" the young Duchess questions me as she sits on the edge of her bed.

After having to calm her down for the second time tonight and answering a few more minor queries that the others had regarding their alternate-selves, I was finally able to gather their attention long enough to bring up a very important matter.

"It's about the pope and what he might be planning." I tell them bluntly as I prepared myself to discuss a bit of my world's history. "As most of you might already know, the timeline of the Halkeginia where I came from is about two decades ahead of this one." I close my eyes as I recall some of the lessons that Miss Eléonore had imparted to me in regards to this part of Halkeginian History. "Two decades ago in my world, the 32nd pope of the Church of Brimir – Vittorio Serevare St. Aegis had sent out a call to rally all the nations of the continent under the banner of Romalia. This was so that he could wage a Holy Crusade that would pit all the kingdoms of humanity against the elves that resided in the Holy land."

"WHAT!" all of them collectively screamed in both shock and disbelief. The calmness inside of the room had been completely shattered by my revelation and had allowed panic to reign again.

"Such a thing… Such a thing is madness!" the blonde captain with us exclaims. "Fighting the elves is tantamount to suicide. I've even heard of how a single elf is able to destroy entire armies by itself. Even if it was His Holiness who had sent out the call there's simply no chance that anyone would even think of doing, much less agree, to such an insane proposal."

I inwardly nod at his declaration. He was definitely right. The Elves were definitely the most feared creatures in all of Halkeginia and, prior to my father's arrival, were considered as near invincible beings that no human could defeat alone. And even though their air of invincibility had somewhat thinned due in part to the Duchess and the King's handy work, they were still greatly feared nonetheless. So the mere thought of a war against the Elves would definitely be something that the people with me would consider as such a ridiculous notion to even think off.

"Be that as it may, the pope was still able to coerce the ruling leaders of all the nations into joining his crusade."

"Coerced them?" Sir Reynald quickly picks up the word that I had used to describe how the pope had unified the nations to Romalia's side. "What exactly did His Holiness do to convince them?"

I glance back at the inquisitive water magus. "He simply told them about something that made the frightful notion of a Holy Crusade against the elves pale in comparison." I reply to the would-be Mage Tactician.

"Something more terrible than a war against the elves? What in the Founder's name could that be?" the pinkette asks more to herself than anyone else, her eyes revealing her mind's attempts at trying to imagine what horror could have forced the leaders of all the kingdoms of the continent to agree with the pope's suicidal plans.

"…Do you know where windstones come from?" I suddenly pose a surprisingly simple question to them.

"Of course," the young Zerbst who was with us chimes in, probably getting tired of being a mere side character for far too long. "We get them from mining the deposits that are inside of caves or near the surface. My family's lands have a cave that's been relegated for the mining of those things so I should know."

"That's right." I nod at what she had narrated to us. Windstones are actually quite rare which is why most countries follow a strict edict when it comes to managing places where they could be mined. And although their value in my world has slightly dropped with the introduction of the steam-powered airships that have proven to be more economical in the long run compared to the windstone-powered ones from the past, they're still treated as highly valued goods. "But do you know that there's actually a vast reserve of windstones stored deep within the continent, virtually unreachable except by using elven mining techniques?"

"Well no," the red-head replies. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

I turn my sights at the young Zerbst from where I was seated, the steely look in my eye somewhat unnerving her. "Everything." I emphatically tell her.

Everyone's necks start to stretch forward a bit. There was not one of them who wanted to miss anything that I was about to divulge.

"The Vittorio Serevare of my world had revealed the existence of a possible disaster that would end up forcing the leaders of all the nations in Halkeginia to join forces with him. This impending disaster would later be referred to as the 'Windstone Calamity'."

"Windstone Calamity? What is that exactly?" my master queries.

"According to the Pope, within the next half decade, the Windstone reserves stored underneath Helkeginia would have grown to the point wherein the continent will be ripped apart as the Windstones reach critical mass and start to float out of the earth, dragging the surface of the continent with it."

"So the entire continent will turn into one floating land mass, kind of like a bigger version of Albion. Is that right?" the young Duchess deduces as a relieved sigh escapes her breath. "I think that's not so bad. All they'd have to really worry about is how to keep everyone secure and safe. But aside from that, I don't get how this would end up forcing the hand of the other rulers though?"

"You don't understand at all." I sneer a bit at her naively positive deduction. "Eventually the Windstones would dry out once in the air, and the floating land would drop back down to the surface." I reveal to her which immediately causes the momentary relief on her face to quickly disappear. "As a result, over fifty percent of Helkeginia would become uninhabitable once the Windstones start to rise, and due to the loss of resources as the surface breaks apart humans would war between themselves for what little is left. And that, ultimately, will lead to their extinction."

"N-No… No way..!" the Chevalier whispers in abject shock while the others were struck silent by what I had told them.

"Kiritsugu…" I hear my master speak. Surprisingly enough, she was actually the first one to be able to snap out of that state of speechlessness. "What was the main goal of His Holiness's crusade?"

"In the face of a seemingly unavoidable catastrophe, the Pope Vittorio presented to them a ray of hope." I answer. "He told the leaders of the nations that conquering the Holy Land was the only way to avoid such a terrible fate. He claimed that there was enough resources there to satisfy everyone and that they can migrate there to avoid a desperate war wherein the people would be forced to fight one another for food. He also said that the Founder had left a device there to prevent the Windstones from completely destroying Helkeginia. If they could find that said device then they could even prevent that impending disaster from happening in the first place."

"I see." Miss Valliere lowers her gaze to the floor as if pondering to herself. "So the war that you mentioned earlier was between elves and humans, is that right?"

"No," I corrected her which prompts the small-statured void mage to direct her attention towards me again. "The last great war of my world, just like the other ones before it, was strictly a human affair."

"But how could that happen?" Sir Reynald asks again before placing his fingers on the tip of his chin as if trying to figure out what might've caused such events to transpire as they did. "Did one of the rulers have a falling out with the Pope and the other leaders?"

I nod, confirming his guess.

"But what country would be stupid enough to do that and endanger everyone in the process?" the uncharacteristically quiet Sir Gimli speaks out.

"Heh. I bet it was Germania." the young Duchess haughtily huffs.

"…It was Tristain." I reveal to her which causes the pinkette's proud figure to instantly deflate.

"T-T-Tristain!?" she shouts, unable to bring herself to believe what she had just heard. "T-That can't be… Her Majesty would never-!"

"To begin with, the so-called alliance between the nations was superficial at best." I immediately explain to them. "With a few exceptions, none of them actually trusted each other. Not to mention Germania's emperor at that time harbored a grudge against both my father, and my teacher the Duchess of Emptiness who had humiliated him during an earlier encounter. But the main reason why Tristain had ultimately gone against the alliance was because they were able to find out the truth."

'Truth?" All of them crane their necks a tad closer.

"The pope lied." I tell them. "As I've already said earlier, the pope cannot be trusted. He had used two talking points to convince the nations of Halkeginia to agree with his crazy plan," I raise my right hand as I start ticking my fingers up one by one. "The first was that the Holy Land had enough food and other resources to support most of the combined population of all the countries. The second was that the founder had left a device that would prevent the Windstone threat to begin with. But it turned out that neither of those two was actually true."

I stare at the brass pendant that held up Miss Valliere's cape. The five pointed star engraved on its surface was not only the basic symbol of magic that represented the five elements but was also a symbol of the Founder himself. The young Duchess of this world from what I've witnessed was still a very devout believer of the Church. In the back of my mind, I wondered how she would react upon finding out that her alternate-self had been excommunicated and was declared a heretic by the same Pope that she once so idolized. I guess that was something that I couldn't help but think of since I was about to tell them the very reason why the older Duchess had renounced her faith in the founder Brimir.

"The Holy Land's resources were not as abundant as the Pope had made it out to be. At most it would only be able to support less than half of the human population of Halkeginia." I tell them. I've really only seen the outskirts of the Holy Land during my travels and to be honest the whole place is nothing more than a damn dessert. For the pope to have been able to convince the leaders that somewhere hidden in that sandy hell was an unlimited supply of food just boggles my mind to no end. Even the Duchess's claim that it could somehow support a portion of the continent's population was something that I was doubtful of. "Of course that meant that a mass exodus to the Holy Land was not really an option to begin with since it would pose the same problem in regards to the lack of resources." I continued to explain. "And as for the device that he claimed to be able to stop the disaster from happening, it turned out to be nothing more than a part of his deception."

"So there was no device at all then." my master concludes.

"Not necessarily." I corrected again. "From what my teacher had told me, there was indeed a vital component hidden in the Holy Land that Vittorio would need to fulfill his true goal."

"And what exactly is His Holiness true goal?" the young Duchess asks, her voice heavy with grief as her faith in the pope had all but disappeared.

Deciding to finally land the finishing blow that would at last topple her already shaky beliefs, I answer her without hesitation. "The genocide of the entire elven race."

An audible gasps echoes throughout the small cabin. I glance back at my master who stood just a couple of inches behind me. All the color on her face had been drained. This was understandable since elvish blood did flow inside of her veins. She was just as much of an elf as she was human and she had never given me the impression that she loathed her elven heritage. So for her to hear something as ludicrous as the genocide of her entire race was most likely a very shocking thing.

"Is something like that even possible?' Miss Montmorency says in astonishment. The curly haired blonde had been latching on to Sir Guiche's arm since I had begun my story.

"The pope believed that it was. And from what my teacher had told me, the Founder Brimir himself had left specific instructions on how such a feat could be accomplished." I inform them. "My teacher told me that the Pope's real goal was to gather all four bearers of the void and their respective servants, and by combining their powers together with the vital component that was hidden somewhere within the vast landscape of the Holy Land he would annihilate the entire elven race in one blow. The Holy Crusade that he was advocating would serve as a perfect guise to search for the said vital component. But the war itself had other hidden purposes too."

Raising my right hand again, I start enumerating them with my fingers.

"One would be that it would effectively weaken the military might of all the countries involved with the exception of Romalia. This was important since when the time came that he would have to reveal that only a chosen few could be saved then he wouldn't have to worry about a swift retaliation coming from the other countries."

It was a well thought-out strategy since I have no doubt that the other leaders would not be very happy once they found out about the Pope's deception.

"Another was the fact that by pushing the people who would be participating in the war to their deaths, Vittorio would effectively be reducing the number of civilians that he would need to supply with food once the Windstone threat came to pass. With fewer mouths to feed, the resources would be better managed as a result. It was because of this deception that Tristain ultimately decided to oppose the Pope's plans."

After explaining all of this to them, my eyes continue to stare at the young Duchess whose body had started to quiver.

"I… I can't believe it." she laments. "For His Holiness to have done such a thing…"

"Upon learning of Tristain's defection, the Allied forces of Romalia, Germania, and Gallia declared war against the small country." I continue despite the blank expression that I could see on the Pinkette's face.

"Gallia?!" Saito says in shock. "But Tabitha would never let-!"

"That's right, she wouldn't." I assure him of the Queen of Gallia's allegiances. "As I told you before, the Queen Charlotte and my father were very good friends. She would never have sided with the Pope in a war that would pit her against the King of Swords."

He sighs in relief. "So Tabitha became the Queen, huh? Well then, why did Gallia join with Romalia?"

"The Pope helped stage a coup d'état against the Queen Charlotte and had her replaced by someone who he could control behind-the-scenes." Left unsaid, however, was the fact that it was actually the Queen Charlotte's twin sister whom Vittorio had used to replace her. "As for the war, you and my father would lead the army of Tristain against the allied forces. The tide of the war finally shifted in Tristain's favor when the Queen Charlotte was able to overthrow her usurper and joined forces with Her Majesty, the Queen Henrietta. My father was able to kill the Pope during the final days of the war but he too would fall as well."

"Wait a second, Kiritsugu." Sir Malicorne speaks. "Just because the pope of your world did all of those things doesn't necessarily mean that His Holiness would do them too, right? I mean, if you think about it, our two worlds aren't exactly the same since Saito was the one who got summoned instead of your father. Maybe we shouldn't start accusing His Holiness of things that he hasn't even done yet."

It was a sensible remark in all honesty. After all, it wasn't right to condemn someone for crimes that he had not technically committed himself.

But I had already used that approach and after what had transpired in Romalia's throne room, I just couldn't convince myself that the pope of this reality was any different from the one in mine.

"Well, if that's the case then I guess there's also a slight chance that you and Miss Marie won't end up meeting at all." I snidely comment at him which causes the plump blonde to back off from his statement. Glancing back, I see the disapproving look that my master was giving me.

I sighed.

I really didn't mean to sound so antagonistic but I couldn't help it. The fact that this people would easily believe all the good things that I told them in regards to their alternate-world selves, but would be skeptical of some of the things that they didn't want to even consider just rubbed me the wrong way.

"The pope has already shown you how manipulative he can be based on what had happened back in Romalia." I tell them as I calmed my voice so that I wouldn't sound so harsh like when I had retorted back against Sir Malicorne. "Have you all forgotten what he said inside that throne room of his? How he would sacrifice as many people as he needs to." I point out to them. For me, the conviction that had been laced in his voice when he had declared this was proof enough of how serious he was on following through with such a promise. "I'm sure that he's planning something. Whether it's exactly the same scheme that the Pope of my world had concocted or something else entirely, I don't know. But I have a feeling that, ultimately, his goal is the same and that he won't hesitate to sacrifice as many lives as he needs to achieve it."

That statement of mine thoroughly sobers the atmosphere inside of that small cabin even more. The possibility that I had just revealed to them was probably something that far surpassed any of their expectations.

A war that would not only involve all four nations but would also dictate the fate of all human life in Halkeginia… I doubt that anyone here had expected to come face-to-face with such a troublesome prospect after coming back from what they thought should've been a care-free vacation.

"But be that as it may, we do have the advantage right now." I try to lift their spirits up a bit. "As of the moment, the Pope isn't aware of who I am." I glance back at my master who was sitting behind my figure and afterwards I return my sights towards the young Duchess in front of me. "Also, in order for him to do anything, he'll need the support of all four bearers' of the void. As long as we remain on guard and oppose his plans without him knowing then we can stop a great war like the one that transpired in my world from happening here." I clench both my fist that were resting on my lap as I grit my teeth. "We have to make sure that something like that doesn't happen here."

The estimated number of casualties from the last great war was said to have been in the hundreds of thousands. Many villages and cities were razed to the ground. Countless civilians lost both their homes and lives during the span of that conflict. I wasn't born yet so I couldn't imagine what kind of horror had swept throughout the continent during that time; and after seeing the scene of panic from last night's battle, I don't think that I'd even want to imagine such a thing in the first place.

That's why I won't let something like that happen here.

As my father's son, I will never allow such a thing to happen.

"Don't worry, Kiritsugu." I hear Saito declare earnestly, the utmost confidence oozing from his voice. "Like you said, we're going to make sure that something like that doesn't happen."

"Saito's right," the blonde captain with us adds. With a flourish, he whips out his trademark rose-wand as he begins to do the trademark poses that I've seen his alternate world-self perform so many times before. "Though it is regrettable that we must go against His Holiness, we of the Undine Knights will not allow such a disaster to befall Tristain or any of the other countries."

"I'm with Guiche and Saito!" Sir Gimli declares; the familiar hot-bloodedness that his other-self was famous for now in full display. "Even if it's his Holiness, we can't just let him do whatever he wants."

One-by-one, the others start to step forward. The fear in their eyes that was present just moments ago had all but disappeared and was now replaced with something else. There was a look of determination on their faces, a flaming resolve that burned despite being presented with such a ridiculous possibility like a war that would determine the fate of so many lives.

I small smile crosses the corner of my lips.

I had underestimated the people of this world. They may not be as strong or as famous as their counterparts yet… But they too shared the same courage, the same resolve that made them who they were. I guess I was blinded by my arrogance so I couldn't see it until now.

The people who had gathered here were definitely people who I could put my faith in.

"That settles it then." I say as I stand from my seated position, stretching my legs that had started to go slightly numb. "Although we can't fight the Pope head-on, we can still make sure to put a wedge on whatever he's planning. Of course, we can't let him know what exactly we're trying to do. But if enough things go our way we should be able to prevent the worst case scenario."

Just as I was about to advise my master that we should return to our cabin in order to get some rest, "Wait a minute, Kiritsugu!" I hear Miss Vallière call out to me again. "There's still one more thing that's bothering me."

"What is it?" I ask.

"The fact that you're here… doesn't that mean that the windstone calamity that you were talking about was averted?" she questions. "If that's the case then how was it stopped? Who stopped it?"

I stare at her for a good ten seconds, my face masked by an expression of seriousness that I usually only had when I was in the midst of battle. Soon, however, my cold façade slowly breaks as a derisive laugh escapes my breath

Upon seeing my reaction to her query, the young Duchess face turns red. "Why are you laughing? What's so funny?!" she asks me, her voice equally embarrassed and annoyed at the same time. "Is there something wrong with my question?!"

"Nothing at all." I tell her as I do my best to recompose myself before explaining myself. "The truth is that for all the trouble that the Pope of my world went through to avoid the Windstone Calamity, in the end it never even happened."

"EHHHH!?" everyone inside the cabin collectively screams.

"What in the founder's name do you mean it never happened?!" the pinkette shrieks as she quickly crosses the short distance that separated the two of us and grabs me by the collar of my tunic, dragging me down to her eye-level and causing my back to bend in a very uncomfortable manner. "Explain yourself at once!"

"Hey, could you calm down first." I whine as I tap her hand that had grabbed the collar of my tunic in order to prompt the young Vallière to loosen her grip. As she finally releases her hold on me and after straightening my back, I began to speak again. "Based on the Pope's assumptions, the windstone Calamity should've happened sometime in the past two decades. But it never did though." I nonchalantly tell them which causes their mouths to hang open in shock.

"T-T-T-Th-Th-Then was it all j-just a hoax?!" the pinkette resumes her stuttering. "W-Was His Holiness mistaken?"

"I'm not really sure." I bluntly reply to her. "But the reports of the researcher that Her Majesty had tasked to verify the Pope's claims had confirmed it to be true at least."

"Hmph!" the young Duchess huffs as she turns her head to the side. "I'm sure that stupid researcher was just wrong." she chides.

"I highly doubt that." I tell her as I hid the amusement that I got from her reaction. "Miss Eléonore is quite the perfectionist. I doubt that she'd risk her and her family's name on something that she wasn't completely sure of."

The void mage's body suddenly goes completely rigid like a rock. Forcefully cranking her head towards me like a stiff-jointed mannequin, she looks at me with a rather awkward expression. "W-When you said Miss Eléonore… y-you wouldn't happen to be talking about my s-sister, right?"

"Who else would I be talking about?" I smiled after seeing the look of bewilderment on her face as I enjoyed every bit of mental anguish that this was causing the pinkette in front of me. Aside from being stubborn, I was quite the vengeful person to boot. I haven't completely forgotten how she had scared the living Prana out of me earlier.

She could do nothing but nod at this as she audibly gulps. Since they were siblings, I'm sure she knows that what I had told her was true, although I did find her reaction after hearing her sister's name a bit odd to say the least. If I didn't know any better than I would've thought that she was scared of Miss Eléonore or something which shouldn't be the case since I've seen the two sisters interact with each other. And from those rare meetings, though the eldest of the Vallière sisters had proven to be a fearsome individual in her own right, the Duchess had never shown an ounce of fear whenever she dealt with her eldest sister, even going as far as pointing out the blonde Vallière's single status whenever she was nagging at her too much.

Seriously… this world is just weird.

"So, how were they able to stop it then?" the red-haired Von Zerbst queries this time.

"I have no idea." I answer as I shrugged my shoulders. "I asked my teacher the same thing and the only answer that I got from her was that she just knows and that I should just forget about it. So I decided to trust her on that particular matter." That wasn't a hundred percent true though since for a time I kept badgering her for a proper answer. I was a pretty curious child, though more often than not my curiosity would get me into very problematic situations. Ultimately, my persistent attitude earned me another encounter with one of her explosion spells after she finally got fed up with my whining. "But whether the Windstone Calamity is true or not, it doesn't really matter as long as the Pope believes that it will inevitably happen."

"…I guess you're right." Miss Valliere declares, her shoulders slightly slumping down as the reality of the Popes betrayal finally starts to set in. "As long as His Holiness believes it then we have to make sure that we stop whatever he's planning at all cost."

After a moment of silence wherein none of the others stepped forward to ask any further questions, I sigh. "Well, seeing that we've talked about everything that we needed to discuss, I think we should all call it a nigh-!" I abruptly stop myself as I notice bits of sunshine slowly lighting the room. I quickly look out at one of the circular windows of the cabin just in time to see the outlines of the early morning sun rising from the horizon. It seems that we've exhausted the entirety of the night with our overly long discussion.

"So I guess it's already morning, huh?" I whisper to myself as I continue to look out the window. I could see the familiar mountain ranges and lush forest that had seen me off when I had departed from my homeland six months ago. I could even see the visage of the Lagdorian Lake where the Spirit of Water whom I had met once before resided.

Looking at this familiar sight, a tinge of nostalgia envelops me.

Although I couldn't really say that I was back home, that still didn't change the fact that in a couple of hours I'm going to be stepping on Tristanian soil very soon.

-(Scene Break)-

"Well, that was fun." the sentient weapon that was hanging from my back says to itself.

Standing at one of the empty balconies of the Academy's main tower, I slightly lean over the stone railings in front of me as my body slumps forward. The once blue sky had now turned into a hazy orange hue signaling that the dawn was fast approaching as the twin moons start to come out from their hiding place. Behind me, I could hear the sound of music and dancing echoing from the crowded hall that I had just left.

After we had arrived back in Tristain the Headmaster of the Tristain Magic Academy, an old man that went by the name of Osmond, together with a fairly large contingency of professors and magic students had greeted us at the gate of the school. Our party had been welcomed like conquering heroes as the confetti had rained down on us in all directions. I guess the news of what happened back in Romalia had finally reached all the way here. There was boisterous cheering everywhere. Praises were heaped upon the members of the Undine knights for their quick-wittedness in securing the safety of the civilian population of Aquileia in the midst of the battle. Saito, my master, Miss Vallière, and even the absent Miss Tabitha were hailed as the saviors of Romalia. My reception was a bit more subdued though as most of the people that greeted our group looked at me with an undeniable hint of suspicion and confusion, probably showing their wariness of someone who they had never seen before. I couldn't really fault their reaction though so I decided to pay them no mind.

Afterwards, in light of our triumphant return and the euphoric mood that had taken hold of the entire school, the headmaster cheerfully announced that a celebratory banquet had been prepared ahead of time in recognition of our achievements. The students of course were overjoyed by this announcement. I'm guessing that skipping a day's worth of classes wasn't too much of a big deal for them. The party started from the mid-morning and had continued all the way to the late afternoon. At this point, I wasn't even sure whether they were really celebrating our victory, or just enjoying themselves. Then again, people really only needed one reason to let the wine flow (sometimes none at all).

"Was the previous headmaster really that... peculiar?" I ask my Uncle in regards to Old Osmond's strange behavior. Not only was his speech during the start of the party littered with signs of his obsession for the female body, he was also looking around the hall with lecherous eyes as he surveyed the floor for girls who wore very revealing gowns. Now I'm not really someone who likes to put people in fixed stereotypes. But, honestly, I've never seen anyone fit the clichéd 'Dirty Old Man' mold better than he did.

"Aye," the talking sword answers much to my disappointment. "If you're serious about protecting your master's chastity then you better watch out for that one."

I sighed. The Duchess never really talked that much about the previous headmaster who managed the Academy prior to its current Headmaster Mr. Colbert, so I had no idea what he was like. But if he really was like this then I could understand why she wouldn't want to bring him up in the first place.

I allow my gaze to wander over to the courtyard below me, the familiar site causing me to feel a bit nostalgic.

I've only seen the Tristain Magic Academy once. It was back when the Duchess had paid a visit to her Alma mater to serve as a substitute teacher for a week under the request of the Headmaster, Mr. Colbert. Though the Duchess could not perform any sort of spell that was in-line with the four basic elements, she was still very knowledgeable when it came to their underlying theory. The Vestri Court which was the courtyard that I was looking at right now had served as my pseudo-playground whenever the Duchess was out teaching her classes. The area that it covered was very spacious and there were very few students who went there so it was the perfect place to train.

But there was another reason why I usually spent the majority of my afternoons there.

My eyes thoroughly comb through the open greenery below me as if searching for something. Though this courtyard and the one in my world were almost identical, there was one glaring difference between the two.

"...So it's really not here, huh?" I whisper to myself in a rather somber voice, my eyes glued to a specific spot where a particular statue should've been.

As infamous as my father was, finding a portrait or a painting of him was next to impossible. In fact, most of the people in Halkeginia probably had no clue what he looked like. Of course that only added to the mystique of his legend. It wasn't rare for me to encounter people who thought that the King of Swords was some half-man, half demon hybrid who had eyes that could perceive the very lines of death itself. The only existing artistic depiction of my father's image was the one that stood at the corner of the Vestri Courtyard - a full scale brass statue, magically sculpted by the Captain of the Undine Knights himself to commemorate the feat that he had performed in the Hills of Saxe-Gotha. From the moment that I had seen it, I had made sure to engrave every detail of its image in my head. I really couldn't help it since it was the only image of my father that I ever knew.

So to see the absence of one of the few physical mementos of my father was rather depressing.

"Oi, you're moping again." the talking sword chides which prompts me to smile awkwardly like a thief that had been caught red-handed. "Anyway, I'm starting to worry about you kid."

"Worried? About what, Uncle?"

"I think you're starting to pick up some of the Duchess's bad habits."

"Like what?" I ask the talking sword, slightly playing dumb since I did have a pretty good idea of what he was pertaining to.

"Like threatening to kill people who annoy you." he replies, indirectly pointing out the brief incident that had happened not too long ago.

Earlier, after the old headmaster's speech had finished and the festivities were officially underway, I had decided to stand somewhere at the corner of the hall to keep an eye on my master. After some time had passed, a stout-looking male student who seemed to have been drinking a bit too much approached me with an empty glass in his hand. With a smug and rather dazed look on his reddening face, he had ordered me to refill his glass for him. Though I was a bit peeved by his attitude, I didn't want to overreact and cause a scene. I inwardly told myself that maybe this person had not been present or was just not listening when the Headmaster had introduced us. Also, the clothes that I was currently wearing, a plain white and rather worn-down tunic, was something that commoners usually wore. I didn't have any formal wear with when I came to this world and since I was a good bit taller than most of the people here, I couldn't just borrow it from someone. Honestly though, I did prefer this simpler type of clothing compared to the overly elaborate suits and robes that the Nobility was so accustomed to wearing anyway. So I guess it was perfectly understandable why he would've mistaken me as part of the help (though I doubt that normal servers would be carrying swords on their back so that should've already tipped him off). With that in mind, I politely corrected him in regards to his wrong assumptions. Unfortunately, it seems that he had been offended by this for some reason as he proceeded to make a fool out of himself within the hall as he started to indignantly swear at me. I did do my best to remain civil and calm down the irrationally irate noble. But after he had pulled out his wand and had pointed it at me, I immediately threw civility out the window. I quickly drew Uncle Derf from his sheath and with one slash I cut the wand that he was pointing at me into two. And for good measure, I use a return swing to sever the belt that had been holding up his trousers as they quickly fall to the ground, exposing his undergarments before placing the sharp edge of my blade near his neck. Upon seeing this, the foul-mouthed noble quickly goes silent. And before I could even return the Sentient blade back to its sheath, the frightened brat had made a run for it like a mouse being chased by a cat, tripping over himself as he did.

"You can't say that guy didn't have it coming to him though." I defended my actions. "Besides, I wasn't even thinking of killing him anyway." Though I may be someone who had killed a good number of people already, I hadn't reached the point wherein I would kill out of shallow spite. "Also, I'm banned from killing anyone for the meantime, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that one." was my Uncle's reply as I reminded him of my master's troublesome order. "But kid… are you _really_ going to follow that order of hers though?" he asks with a copious amount of skepticism in his voice.

I sighed yet again. "I already gave her my word, so it can't be helped."

"Heh! I'll give you a month before you murder the first enemy that you see." the sentient blade dismissively tells me, clearly selling my strength of will very short.

"Is that a bet, Uncle?" I ask in a challenging tone.

"That depends on what's at stake here."

I smile. "Tell you what, Uncle. If I don't kill anyone for at least two months, you'll start referring to me as 'partner' from now on." I wagered at him.

My Uncle from the time that I first met him up to now had always referred to me as 'Kid'. Though I didn't mind it that much back when I was a still a child, as I grew older I found myself somewhat irked by this because of two main reasons. One, I technically wasn't a 'kid' anymore. By the standards of society, I was already an adult. Not to mention that most of the people that belonged to my age group probably never had to go through half of the stuff that I have. The other was that, from what I know, my Uncle had always addressed the people who had wielded him as 'partner'. He had called my father 'partner' when he was the one wielding him and for the time that he was with the Duchess he too also called her 'partner'. I've even asked him why he doesn't call me that despite the fact that I've been his official owner for nearly two years now to which he smugly replied with:

'_You've still got a long way to go before I call you that, Kiddo!'_

After hearing that, I've always dreamt of making him eat those words of his.

"And what do I get if I win..?" my Uncle queries further, his interest definitely being peaked by this.

"Hmmm… How about if I polish your blade every day for an entire year? Or-!"

"SOLD!" my Uncle shouts in delight before I could give out any other suggestion. "And you better make sure that you use that special oil that they sell in Germania. I don't want none of that crap that they sell back in Rosais to touch me!"

My eyes flinch after hearing this. "But isn't that oil really expensive?".

"So? It's not my problem." my Uncle heartlessly answers.

By the root, what kind of mess have I gotten myself into now?

"Kiritsugu?" I hear a familiar voice from the entrance of the balcony.

I look back to see who it was that had called out to me though I already had a good idea of who it was.

"Master." I smiled as I greeted the newly arrived half-elf.

"I was looking everywhere for you." she says as she approaches me slowly, her blonde hair that had been tied back into a ponytail and the green dress that she wore swaying with her movements. "I didn't see you inside the dance hall so I started to worry."

"I'm sorry, Master. But after what happened earlier, I think that it's better for me to stay out of sight so that I don't cause any more trouble for you." I tell her, pertaining to the incident regarding the nobleman that I had embarrassed.

"It's okay, Kiritsugu." she assures me. "I know it wasn't your fault." She stands beside me as she looks at the empty courtyard that I had previously been staring at. "What are you looking at anyway?"

"Nothing really," I lied. "I just felt bored so I decided to waste a bit of time here."

"Then… is it okay if I stay here with you for a while?" she asks me much to my surprise.

As I stared at her, I notice the troubled expression on her face. Did something happen back in the dance hall that had made her want to hide here for the meantime. I spare a brief glance at the inside of the still bustling hall and after a few seconds of observing I immediately take note of a number of male students who seemed to be searching for someone in particular. I return my gaze to my master… and then to the dance hall… and then back to my master again. After a few seconds I started to smirk as I began to understand what exactly was going on.

There was another incident that had happened earlier. Immediately after a bit of music had started playing, a horde of male students had come rushing over to where my master was as each one tried to convince her to dance with them. As I had expected, she really was quite popular among the male populace of the school and I could perfectly understand why.

Objectively speaking, if i were to rate my master's looks from a scale of one-to-ten; she'd probably be an eleven.

Her kindness and gentle nature easily notches her score up to twelve.

And having the biggest (and softest) rack that I've ever seen (and felt) puts her final score up to around... probably twenty.

Her green dress that sported a very low-cut neckline only served to accentuate her most noticeable feature. In fact, even the slightest amount of movement from her was enough to cause the entire male population to act like a pack of wolves staring at a piece of meat. The ruckus by that time had gotten so bad that I had even decided to step-in. But before I could do so, a twin-tailed blonde had pushed through the front and together with three other female students had shooed away the overzealous men. It was only later that I found out that the blonde female who had come to my master's aid was in fact Beatrice Yvonne von Guldenhorf, a child of the Guldenhorf clan. Miss Beatrice's assistance had somewhat surprised me since I vaguely remember the Duchess describing the Guldenhorf's as a bunch of Germanian-born, money grabbing bullies. And as my teacher always said, nothing good ever comes out of Germania. The only exception to this was my Auntie Kirche and even then that was already pushing it. So for a member of that family to act in such good faith was quite the shock to me.

But more than that, the thing that perplexed me the most was the amount of acquaintances and friends that my master had. Being that she was a half-elf, I would've thought that she would either be shunned by most of her classmates or that she would hide her elven heritage to avoid such a thing from happening. But it seems that despite her being a half-elf, the other students in the school had no qualms about this. She had been welcomed with open arm (long ears and all) and was treated and even admired by many of her peers. This knowledge had definitely relieved me of some of my worries.

"I see." Folding my arms together, I turn to face the troubled girl as I started to nod my head in an exaggerated manner. "It seems that Master's popularity with men is causing her quite a bit of distress, am I right?"

She looks down, my query leaving her slightly abashed though she did nod in reply to my question.

"Hmm… in that case," I place my hand on my Uncle Derf's hilt. "As your Servant, it is my duty to eliminate anyone who causes you any sort of distress." I declare with a bright smile on my face.

"Ehhh!?" she shrieks, her ears twitching after hearing how I would resolve her problem.

"Don't worry, Master. I'm not really going to kill them" I tell her which prompts the half-elf to sigh in relief though there was still hints of worry on her face. "…I'm just going to cut off their legs so that they never even think of dancing with you ever again." I casually tell her of my plan which causes her entire face to go pale.

"K-K-Ki-Kiri-Kiritsugu!" she indignantly shouts at me.

Her loud voice instantly draws the attention of her male predators. But before they could look towards our general direction, I had already pulled my master to the side of the balcony's entrance and away from their prying eyes. I slightly peek out from where I and my master were hiding. All of them had focused their attention towards our balcony but after seeing that no one was there, they started to turn their sights to other places.

After making sure that we were indeed safe again, I started to chuckle a bit.

"Kiritsugu? Why are you laughing?" she questions me. I on the other-hand could only reply with even more laughter. It takes my master a bit of time before she could deduce what and who exactly I was laughing at. With her cheeks puffed like a pair little balloons she turns her head away from me. "I can't believe that you were teasing me again..!"

"Sorry, Master. It's just so easy to tease you that I can't help it." I apologized to her. "Anyway, I guess having dozens of people asking you to dance is really quite troublesome."

"…It's not just that though," her face starts to turn a faint red. "I… I don't know how to dance." she whispers so softly that I was only able to barely hear it.

I look at my Master for a good few seconds after hearing her declaration.

"I-It's really embarrassing." she says while her body begins fidgeting in place. "I-I mean, what if I trip o-or I step on someone's foot."

I look at her for a couple more seconds before sighing one more time.

"Would you like me to teach you then?" I ask her.

"You know how to dance, Kiritsugu?" she replies with a question of her own.

"A little." I answer. Miss Eleonore who was also my teacher in etiquette had made sure to teach me back in my childhood days. Of course, the whole experience felt both awkward and painful in the beginning. Awkward because having someone who was way taller than you as your partner was just so uncomfortable, and painful since if I was slow on my feet then I would get stepped on by her very large boot that had very sharp ridges on its sole. To this day, I swear that she wore those on purpose just so that she could do that to me. "I'm not saying that I'm an expert but I'm passable at least."

She looks at me, somewhat taken aback by my offer, but soon her lips start to curve into a smile as she nods enthusiastically

Grabbing her hand with my right, I take her to the spot that we had retreated from as my left spreads the curtain that lay on the side of the doorway so as to hide us from her persistent suitors. I remove the sword and sheath that I carried on my back as I prop the quiet blade against the stone railing of the balcony.

I turn to face my master so as to start this impromptu lesson in dancing that I was about to give her. From the expression that she had right now, I could tell that she was still a bit tense. I found this to be quite amusing considering that just a few days ago she courageously stared at a massive airship falling straight at her with not a hint of fear in her eyes, and yet now she was practically shaking in the midst of her first dance lesson.

I give her a slight bow, keeping my eyes in contact with hers as I made sure to smile in hopes that this would alleviate some of the tension that she was feeling. My master's reaction was a tad delayed though as she blankly stares at me before noticing her own absentmindedness and hurriedly doing a rushed curtsey. I then offer her my left hand as I prompt her to give me her right. She cautiously lays her hand on my palm, her fingers trembling ever so slightly, displaying her hesitation about this whole thing. I gently clasp her hand in mine, making sure to take the utmost care so as to not cause her any discomfort. I lift our joined hands together just right below the level of my shoulder as we both draw closer together, my right hand resting on her left hip while she placed her free left hand on my shoulder. I made sure that there was sufficient distance between the two of us so as to not cause any unnecessary awkwardness for me in the form of having her ample breast pressing hard against my chest. If that were to happen then I might end up having to conclude our lesson early.

Even at this point I could still feel how very tense her whole body was.

"Just take a deep breath, master." I advise her to which she hesitantly nods.

We both take in a very deep breath and exhale at the same time. As she did, I could feel her body starting to relax.

"I think that helped." she quickly mentions the result to me.

"Of course it did." I confidently tell her. "Okay then. Shall we start now?"

My master gives me a more enthused nod as a reply.

Positioning ourselves, I begin the lesson.

Placing my weight on my right foot, I step forward with my left as I instruct her to move her right foot back. I step to the side with my right foot as I urge her to do the same with her left. With both feet on the same line, I tell her to bring the two together again. With both of us returning to our starting position, I instruct her to do the first three steps that she did but this time taking the lead and doing everything with the opposite foot.

Back/Forward - Side - Together.

Forward/Back - Side - Together.

What I was teaching her was really just your typical box-step which was probably the easiest dance to learn. You literally had to have four left feet to not learn it in five minutes.

Back/Forward - Side - Together.

Forward/Back - Side - Together.

"I think I'm starting to get it now." she comments as her movements started to become a bit more confident.

"That's good to hear, Master." I reply. "Well then, let's start timing our movements with the music, shall we?"

"Huh?"

But before she could mount any sort of protest, I was already setting the pace. Fortunately, the music playing in the dance hall was fairly easy to dance to so I was confident that she would be able to keep up with no problem at all.

Slow – quick, quick.

Slow – quick, quick.

"See, it's not that hard to learn how to dance. Am I right, master?"

Slow – quick, quick.

Slow – quick, quick.

She nods. The half-elf looks up at me with such joy, as if she was like a child that had just learned how read and write. "This is kind of fun." She says as she urges the both of us to dance more.

We continue dancing until the sun itself had completely set and had now been replaced by the figure of the twin moons. Taking a brief glance inside the hall from where we were, I could see that the party had somewhat calmed down now. Most of the people were no longer dancing and instead were simply drinking and eating while bathing themselves in the ambience that the music was creating. Sir Guiche, who had been awarded with the title of Chevalier in the beginning of the party, was now surrounded by dozens of girls as he regaled and reenacted to them what looked to be the same story that I had told him in regards to how his otherworld-self had subdued a flock of fire dragons using his steel Valkyries. Technically, he had yet to actually accomplish such a feat. But I guess he thinks that since it was his alternate-self who did it anyway, then he could justifiably claim it as his own. Miss Montmorency was looking livid in the background, her arms folded across her chest as she continuously tapped the floor with her foot. I briefly wondered why she had yet to storm in and rain on her promiscuous lover's parade. But to me it looked as if she was actually restraining herself for some reason. I wonder if it had anything to do with the fact that I told her that the Auntie Monmon and the Captain Guiche of my world ended up getting married.

On the other side of the hall, I could also see the young Duchess engaged in a discussion with Miss Kirche. There was a smug look on her face that bordered on arrogance as she puffs out her flat chest. Honestly, she's been like that ever since I revealed everything to her. She's definitely getting way ahead of herself.

"Kiritsugu, I'm really sorry." my master apologizes to me from out of the blue.

I glance back at her, confused as to why she was apologizing to me. "What for, Master?"

"I've given you such a big burden." she vaguely answers though I did know exactly what she was talking about. "But despite that, even though you've voiced out how much you dislike it, you still promised to follow it as much as you can… And I'm really grateful for that."

I could feel her hand that I was holding starting to tremble, the tone of guilt that was seeded in her voice apparent.

"There is nothing that you need to apologize for, Master." I tell her. "I am your Servant and you are my Master. My job is to follow your orders. Besides, apologizing for an order that you're never going to take back anyway is meaningless." This statement causes her to look down at the floor as her hand twitches after hearing what I had said. "You may not look like it, but you're a pretty stubborn person as well. You're too much of an optimist and your dream of satisfying everyone is really unrealistic. Seriously Master, I wouldn't be surprised if we both find ourselves in a bad pinch one day because of that outlook of yours."

She lowers her head even more as if shrinking with every sentence that I threw at her.

"What an unlucky Servant I am, being paired with such a soft-hearted master." I shake my head in an exaggerated manner, though there was a playful grin that was starting to crawl up my lips. "But then again, your kindness… it's not actually something that I dislike though."

Though there were many things about my master's personality that I thought was not only troublesome but also detrimental to our cause, that didn't change the fact that she still possessed the two things in this world that I valued above all else.

Courage and Kindness.

If for nothing else, I would still consider following her because of this two traits that she had in spades.

She suddenly looks at me in surprise as I meet her gaze with a smile. Before long, a soft laughter echoes from my lips which causes her to blush.

"You're teasing me again, aren't you?"

"Indeed." I answer while trying to contain my mirth.

Puffing her cheeks again, she turns her head to the side as she looks away from me. "…Meanie." she whispers to herself.

I playfully stick out my tongue at her. "I call it 'payback'."

We stayed like that for a little while longer, the twin moons sailing above our heads. And although there were still many things that I had to worry about like the Pope, Romalia, my Master's orders, and how to get back home. For tonight at least, I decided to let them fade into the soft music that played inside the dance hall. There would be many days for me to spend worrying about such problems. But, like my master with me, I simply wished to rest for now.

'_You should really try to relax a bit, kiddo. It's not a good habit to always over think stuff.'_

I remember my Uncle telling me that back in the Ostland.

Heh! I guess I'll be taking his advice for tonight at least.

-(Scene Break)-

"_You're pretty stubborn too. You know that, right?" she whispers to herself, playfully sticking out her tongue at the figure of her sleeping Servant. Ever since that night when she had first seen his sleeping figure, she had for some reason developed an inane habit of wanting to watch over him while he slept. She had even turned it into a game between the two of them that only she knew about. A test to see which one of them would fall asleep first. She would pretend to sleep while he watched over her, and once she was sure that he himself had entered the world of dreams, she would turn to her side so that she would be facing him, watching over him until she too would fall into dreams. _

_And just like the other days, she had won out against him yet again as she now enjoyed the spoils of her victory. _

_As she continued to lay there on her bed, her eyes curiously watching over his sleeping form, she finds herself starting to reminisce about what had happened to them today. _

_On this day, she had seen the two differing sides of her Servant in full display. _

_Back in the Ostland he had talked a bit more about his views of the world. And honestly, it saddened her to hear him say what he had said. The negativity and bleak outlook that seemed to be the main factor that dictated his decisions was something that she just couldn't agree with. As much as he had accused her of being an eternal optimist, it somewhat annoyed her that he seemingly couldn't see that he himself was just as bad, an eternal pessimist that always anticipated the worst possible thing to happen. _

_But as callous and cold as he was, he could just as easily become the complete opposite as well._

_She remembers the dance that they shared in the balcony and how he had acted at that time. Although she didn't appreciate how her Servant liked to tease her for his own amusement, she did secretly cherish those moments since it was one of the few times when she could see his playful side. _

_She lifts up her right hand - the same hand that he had held firmly in his grasp, to the level of her eyes. _

_Her Servant's hand felt so soft, and yet at the same time they possessed such strength that could both save and take the life of others. _

…_And it was warm. Holding his hand had given her the same feeling of grasping a cup of hot chocolate during the cold winter nights in Westwood… warmth that chases away the cold darkness._

_Her gaze wanders down to the same hand that had held her own not so long ago. For a brief second, she was tempted to grab hold of it and feel that same warmth that he had given her again. _

_But she fought down that urge. _

_It was such a nonsensical desire, not to mention it would embarrass her to no end if her Servant was to ever catch her attempting it that she would simply die on the spot. _

_Calming herself down, she decides to content herself with just watching him just like she always did until she too fell into dreams._

_And fall she did…_

_Unfortunately, on that particular night, it was not a dream but a nightmare that she would fall into._

_Hot…_

_It was hot... _

_Painfully… Excruciatingly hot._

_Her sight had been met by the image of burning houses that lit up the night sky. There was fire everywhere. The smell of burning wood and cinder was so overpowering that it was suffocating her, making every breath that she took a labored one... a painful one to take. Dead bodies of both the young and old littered the ground, their blood painting the dry soil crimson. _

_Seeing such a nightmarish scene made her want to vomit. The mere sight of it all was making her sick to her stomach._

_She looks ahead and there she sees the boy from before, standing between an armor-clad man wielding a large sword in his hand and an aged woman who was shielding a bleeding child who looked to be only five years of age with her body. _

"_You have to work!" the boy shouts as he holds his quivering hands in front of him. "Please, I'm begging you! I need you to work!" he continues to plead to an invisible god that only he could see. Tears were running down across his cheeks, his arms trembling uncontrollably as if trying to force a miracle to happen._

_And amazingly, a miracle did happen. _

_From out of thin air, a sword that was eerily similar to the one that the iron-clad man was holding appears in the boy's grasp. _

_This sudden event takes the man aback. Not knowing what magic the boy had used to perform such a feat he instinctively retreats a bit. The boy, however, looks at the weapon in his grasp as if it were the most beautiful thing that he had ever laid his eyes on. _

_In her previous dreams she had watched as the boy was trained extensively by the strawberry blonde woman. His teacher had been strict with him. The woman had given him insanely difficult task and, more times than not, had bestowed punishments on him that she thought bordered on the sadistic. _

_But despite all of this, the boy persevered._

_He had made a promise to be strong and if that was what it took to keep that promise then he would not run from the trials that awaited him._

_And this was the fruit of his labors. _

_The power to create weapons… to create swords…_

_She knew who this boy was. _

_The similarities between the two and the clues that seemed to confirm her hunch was just too telling to ignore. _

_But there was a part of her that still did not want to believe it. Not only because dreaming of someone else's past was unheard of, but also because she did not want to believe that her Servant had experienced such things at an incredibly young age._

_Children… for as long as they are children… should only know of laughter and joy. That's what her mother had always told her._

_And yet, her Servant seems to have lost that privilege at such an early age._

_The boy tries to lift the sword up, mustering all the strength that he could gather from his small frame. But even then he could not even lift the heavy blade above his shoulder. After all, he was still a boy so he still had to deal with his own limitations. The iron-clad man smirks at this pitiful sight. Lifting his sword up as he aims to behead the still struggling boy and put an end to his misery. But just as he did, a bullet of light appears from behind the man as it streaks through the fiery scenery everywhere and shatters the large blade that had been lifted to the air. At the same time, the boy's sword shatters as well, its fate mirroring its twin that had threatened its wielder's neck. _

_The man tries to turn around in an attempt to see who had fired that mysterious bullet of light that had broken his sword. But before he could discover that person's identity, another bullet is fired as it streaks through its burning surroundings. In an instant, it punches a hole straight through the skull of the man as bloody chunks of meat start flying out of his head. _

_As the armor-clad man's body falls to the ground, a hooded-figure appears from beyond the smoke and ash that covered the air. _

"_Teacher!" she hears the boy call out and in turn the person who had just arrived takes off the hood obscuring her face as she reveals who she is. It was the woman whose hair had the unique shade of strawberry blonde. And just as she now knew who the boy was, she too was now aware of who this person is. _

_The old woman's eyes widen. "Y-You're… the Duchess of Emptines." she stutters in fear._

_The Duchess approaches the place where the older female and her student were. She turns to the aged woman and asks her to detail what had happened here. _

_With tears running down her cheeks, the old woman begins to narrate the events that had transpired to cause such a disaster to happen. _

_She tells them of when one of the landlord's mistresses had foolishly wandered into the slums. The local drunks had immediately taken an interest in the fine jewelry that she wore. Being fairly intoxicated by their drink, they had stupidly robbed the said mistress, uncaring of the consequences that they might bring not only to themselves but to others as well. _

_The lord of the land, after finding out about this, had gone mad with rage and had immediately ordered his personal army to burn the village where his mistress had been robbed to the ground. He had also ordered that none of the villagers were to be left alive, an order that his private knights had followed without fail. _

_The boy was clearly shocked upon hearing such a horrible tale, dread and disbelief swirling in his blue eyes as he looks at the chaos that surrounded them. _

_The old woman presents the body that she was holding before the Duchess._

"_Please, save this child..!" she begs the Duchess before her who in turn kneels on the ground and takes hold of the child's wrist as if trying to feel for a pulse. Soon, however, the Duchess puts down the limp wrist that she had been holding as her hands close the child's still open eyes. With a look of deep regret, she looks at the older woman and shakes her head. _

_It was already too late. _

_As the Duchess stands again and starts to walk away, leaving the aged woman to weep on her own, the boy suddenly calls out to her in anger as if he had been betrayed._

"_Teacher!" the boy shouts. "Why won't you save this child?! Why are you running away?!"_

"_I'm not a god." his teacher states though she refused to even glance back at the boy. "I can't possibly resurrect the dead." The boy grits his teeth as his teacher continues. "I've told you many times before, you can't save everyone. The only thing that you can do is to try and reduce the chance of things like this from happening again."_

_The boy starts to cry as he feels the reality of the world pushing him down once more. His teacher calls to him to come with her so that they could pay the landlord of this village a visit, but his feet felt numb. He couldn't move at all. He glances back at the older woman who had now begun to embrace the dead child's corpse. _

_The boy clenches his fist until his very nails start to dig deep into the flesh of his palms. Seeing such a sight must've been very disheartening. _

_For someone like him who had vowed to save everyone, leaving this two behind must feel like a betrayal of those same ideals. _

_But nonetheless, he had no choice. _

_His teacher was right. _

_There was no point in staying in that place of fire and death._

_And so, on their first night back in Tristain, she dreamt of a boy who had forcefully swallowed his pride while forcing himself to walk away, not even daring to look back at the older woman who was pleading for someone to save her child as he betrays his ideals for the first time. _

* * *

**Yoooo! It's been a while boys and gals. I'd like to apologize for the super long update. A lot of messed up shit just happened at the same time. Our house got flooded early last month which pretty much fu(ked up my PC. There were some other stuff that I had to attend to. Plus, I was pretty psyched after finding out that LA got DWIGHT FRICKIN HOWARD IN THEIR STARTING LINEUP! SERIOUSLY! I'M STILL OVERJOYED AS FU(K CAUSE WE GOT DWIGHT, PAU, KOBE AND NASH NOW! THANK YOU BASED MITCH! **

**But putting that aside, there's a couple of things that I want to address.**

**(1) There were a lot of you who voiced their displeasure with whole no killing rule and the fact that Kiri actually followed it. I was actually expecting some of you to have that kind of reaction. The criticisms that I've received are very understandable. In fact, when I decided to make this fic into a multi-chapter one, that was one of the main points that I was really thinking over and over again. But in the end, I decided to go with it nonetheless. Truthfully, the no killing rule is stupid and absolutely unrealistic, especially in the environment that Kiri is going to be operating at. But it does serve a purpose. Both Kiri and Tiffa's way of thinking as you may have already noticed are at the extreme ends of the spectrum. I want them to realize that neither of their thinking is completely right. Oh, and speaking of Kiri and Tiffa -**

**(2) One of the reviews mentioned how their interactions feel a bit forced. After rereading some of the chapters, I do somewhat agree. As you can see from my previous works, I have a very bad habit of creating awkwardly forced romantic situations even though I'm not good at doing them to start with. I'm honestly a very limited author so there's only so much that I can do here. I'll try to do better scenarios but I would appreciate some help on this.**

**(3) Some of you have also pointed out how Kiritsugu seems to lack any sort of nostalgia or homesickness. Although I've tried to explain why that is in this chapter, I do feel that too little of it is too unnatural.**

**(4) I've decided to include the windstone incident mentioned in the LN. Since the LN's aren't finished yet, I don't know how exactly they resolved the issue with the windstone so I left the answer vague for the meantime. You can give out your own suggestions on this one too.**

**(5) I've left another clue about Kiri's tracing(?) in the dream sequence. I'll be giving out some specific details on the next chapter.**

**Anyway, that's it for now. RnR. I can't wait for the NBA season to start!**

**DAT NASH TO DWIGHT ALLEY-OOP! DEM WIDE OPEN METTA CORNER 3'S! DAT FRESH BLACK MAMBA IN THE 4****TH****! -IMPLYING THAT THIS LAKER RAPE TRAIN HAS ANY BREAKS! WE 73-9 NOW BITCHES!**


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